Til We Meet Again
by OnceUponAnOriginal
Summary: DISCONTINUED. To be deleted when new fic is uploaded.
1. Chapter 1

I missed you guys! :) Probably won't be updating every week like I did with _If You Love Someone, _thanks to a busy work schedule, but I'll try my best. Anyway... New fic for you! :) I've had this first chapter on my laptop for ages, and even though I already know the plot, I'm not sure whether to continue with it, so **please let me know if you like it**. Sorry for any grammar mistakes. AU, things are changed around a bit, like the ages of the characters, and some personalities. Don't want to give too much away, but just a few warnings:

_Definitely _read this fic if you are a **Michi** fan ;)

You _might_ like this fic if you like **Mimato**, though there's not much of it.

If you were hoping to find some **Takari** goodness, you've come to the wrong fic. I like TK and Kari as a couple, but this one just won't tickle your pickle.

There is _**no** _Sorato in this story.

I think I've babbled enough, so without further ado, I give you... _Til We Meet Again._

Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

It was Friday, and knowing that there was only one more class until the weekend arrived, students bustled in the corridor chattering excitedly. Conversations about parties, shopping and road trips filled Mimi's ears as she and her best friends Sora and Matt approached their lockers.

Mimi groaned loudly. 'Urgh, what's even the point? I suck at Biology.' She sighed dramatically. 'I might as well just give up now.'

'I'm just saying, maybe if you're extra nice to Miss Oki she'll give you some tutoring or something,' Sora said kindly.

'Well… I _could _use the extra help,' she replied as she pondered the idea.

'Maybe if you weren't such a dumb bitch, you wouldn't have a problem.' Matt turned to stare at Tai open mouthed, stunned that he would even say something so callous. The tall brunette leaned against his locker casually and whistled at a pretty blonde girl, giving her a wink and making her smile.

Mimi frowned, pulling out her bag and shutting her locker. 'Unnecessary.'

'Yes, it was.' Matt glared at Tai. 'There was no need for that.'

Tai glanced at the girls with an unreadable expression on his face, almost as though he couldn't understand why the two were together. 'Whatever.' He put his hands in his pockets and walked away coolly, leaving them staring at his back.

'I don't know why you two look so shocked,' Mimi said quietly, breaking the silence between them. 'He's always like this.'

'Yeah, but usually one of us has to provoke him,' said Matt in disbelief. 'Seriously, I know he's my best friend and everything, but that only gives me more of a right to say that he's a dick.' His gaze rested on Sora, who simply looked at the floor, her cheeks slightly pink. 'What's up with you?'

'Oh,' she replied hastily. 'Nothing.' She felt her friends' eyes on her and shrugged. 'I just… I don't know where to put myself, you know? I want to be friends with you _and _Tai, Meems, but you're both making it very difficult.'

'Yeah right, because I totally asked for this,' replied Mimi sarcastically. She flicked Sora's arm and smiled. 'You know I'd never make you choose between us anyway.' She looked at Matt. 'Either of you. Besides, I'm getting used to it, my life just wouldn't be quite the same without a daily insult anymore, would it?' She forced a grin and took Matt's arm. 'Now come on. We only have to endure one more hour before we finally get to go home.'

'Well I have Physics now, so I'll catch up with you guys later or something.' Sora left hurriedly before Matt or Mimi could reply.

'Seriously, what's up with her?' Matt frowned.

'Probably exam stress. I can _totally _relate to that,' Mimi replied, flicking her honey blonde hair over her shoulder dramatically and sighing.

Matt smirked at her. '_Totally, _princess,' he muttered.

* * *

French had never been Mimi's strong point, and she had never really understood the importance of learning it since she didn't have any interest in ever going to France, or using the language at all. While her classmates seemed to think the language was beautiful and romantic, Mimi simply thought it was odd, and she thoroughly regretted choosing the subject over Spanish. Now _that _was a language she'd have liked to learn, but the only reason she'd rejected the subject was because she didn't know anyone who wanted to choose it, and the idea of sitting by herself in a room of strangers speaking in a foreign language didn't really appeal to her. Despite her hatred of the class she was sitting in now however, it was made considerably less horrid by the presence of Matt, who sat beside her doodling and scribbling words that had flown into his head, song lyrics that he no doubt wanted to write down before they escaped with his short attention span. Mimi used her fluffy pen to tap the lyrics he had written down and wrote next to them.

_These are beautiful._

Matt looked at her and shrugged. _They'll do, _he wrote.

Mimi raised an eyebrow and concealed a snort. _Are you kidding? Are they aimed at anyone in particular? _Matt nodded. _Then if she doesn't marry you, I will!_ He smirked and shook his head in amusement, before the pair of them jumped at the shrill sound of the bell signifying the end of the last period.

Mimi placed her book and pens in her bag and put it over her shoulder proudly. It was a beautiful bag; it was pink and fluffy with cupcake keychains. Sora had presented it to her on her birthday the previous week, and Mimi had fallen in love with it immediately. That birthday wasn't entirely what Mimi had wanted it to be. She had turned eighteen just after Sora, Matt and Tai, making them the oldest students the school, and the four of them felt very grown up. Everyone had tried to persuade Mimi to have a big party – something she was very good at - but their efforts were in vain. Mimi had wanted the group of her closest friends to celebrate her birthday with her, but a couple of the members in the group seemed to have some issues with her. She didn't want to spend her celebrations being glared at or feeling awkward, but she didn't want to exclude anyone either. So she abandoned the idea entirely and instead invited a stressed-out Sora to her house - where her mother had allowed them a sneaky glass of champagne each – and the two of them spent the night watching movies and chatting about anything and everything. She had enjoyed herself, but she wished that everyone had gotten along well enough for the group to do something together. Sora had reassured her that there were going to be plenty of birthdays they could all celebrate together, but Mimi secretly doubted that her relationships with the people who seemed to have cut her out could ever be repaired.

In the hallway, Mimi and Matt zigzagged through the mass of students to get to the stairs, but when they finally reached them they stopped in their tracks and realised why so many people had crowded in the first place. Two boys – a brunette and a redhead - were fighting, mercilessly punching and kicking each other, and they were surrounded by people watching. Mimi found herself wondering why there were no teachers to split them up. The usual chants of 'fight, fight' were not present; instead the spectators had worried expressions on their faces, and Matt only had to look at the boys to know why. They were both in a bad way – bruised and bloody with torn uniforms – and there wasn't anyone who was brave enough to step in to break it up. Well, Matt wasn't just _anyone,_ and if there was one person who had the balls to walk into the middle of a vicious fight like this, it was him.

'Matt –' Mimi held out her arm to stop him approaching. 'Don't.'

'Don't sweat it, Meems.' He strode over to the brawling pair and grabbed each of them by their collars, tearing them away from each other. He dragged the brunette up and wrapped his arms under and around the boy's shoulders, holding him back as he struggled to get another punch in. This seemed to give people some encouragement, as another boy stepped in to hold the redhead as he made a lunge for the growling young man being restrained by Matt. The pair fought to get free, but Matt and the other intervener held them firmly and determinedly.

'What the FUCK is this?' Matt roared, turning everyone's attention to him. He let go of the brunette and stood between them, his arms outstretched to prevent them from restarting their fight. 'Tai? Gonna tell me what's going on?'

'It's nothing.'

'Nothing, is it? Go on, Kamiya, tell him.'

'Shut your mouth before I wipe that fucking smirk from it.' Tai spat as he pointed furiously at the boy.

Matt frowned at the redhead and turned his focus to Tai, who was breathing heavily and wiping his bloody lip with the back of his hand as he glared at his opponent. 'Tell me _what, _Tai?'

'I told you. It's _nothing_,' he hissed. Matt watched as Tai's glare unmistakeably rested on a shocked Mimi, giving her a look that made her feel highly intimidated and somewhat guilty, and stormed off, punching a locker on his way.

'_You_ gonna tell me, or what?' Matt asked the other kid.

'Nah. I wanna see how long it takes for him to crack,' he replied, and he turned on his heel and left, followed by the students who had so uselessly watched the whole scene and leaving Matt and Mimi alone at the top of the stairs.

'The way he looked at you just then,' said Matt warily. 'Do you know what that fight was about?'

'No,' answered Mimi truthfully.

'This is more like something _I _would do. But not Tai. This is just not him.' Matt ran his hand through his blonde hair exasperatedly, trying to think back to when Tai began to change and where it all started to go wrong.

'We all change, Matt.' Mimi gave him a sad smile. 'I guess we just don't know who he is anymore.'


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter for you :) Not too keen on this one, and it's pretty uneventful, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you for the reviews and messages, they mean a lot to me :)**

**Oh, and if anyone has Tumblr and posts Digimon stuff, PM me and I'll follow you. I reblogged the most awesome realistic picture of Tai and Matt from an amazing artist the other day, and guys I _really _want you to see it! Plus, I feel like there aren't enough Digimon blogs - but then, that might just be me being greedy ;)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Mimi opened her eyes slowly and squinted. The muffled sound of Rihanna's _Umbrella _echoed against her ear and she reached under her pillow to pull out her phone. Matt's name graced the caller ID screen, along with a photo of him helping Mimi to play his guitar. She smiled sleepily at the memory and tapped the answer button.

'Hey,-'

'It's Izzy's birthday tomorrow and he's having a small get together tonight - with alcohol, I repeat, with alcohol - and we're going whether you like it or not.'

Mimi rubbed a hand over her tired face. She felt a pang of guilt; she had completely forgotten about her friend's birthday. 'Hello to you too. Jeez… Anyway, you dare call me this early for that? Yama, I love you sweetie, but you have some nerve-'

'Meems, it's almost ten thirty.'

'Like I said, early.'

'Wha-? You… you are something else entirely, princess.'

'Why thank you.' She smirked and propped herself up on her elbow.

'_Not _a compliment, now get up, you're supposed to be meeting Sora at eleven.'

_Shit. _With a loud groan, Mimi threw her covers off her and swung her legs over the side of her bed. 'Alright, alright, I'm up.'

'Good. See you tonight, and don't be late… lazy shit.'

She gasped loudly. 'You cheeky-' The line went dead before she was given the chance to curse him and she grinned, rolling her eyes. 'What a dick.'

She felt her stomach growl in hunger as she got herself dressed in a peach coloured sweater and light blue skinny jeans, and put some makeup on. She didn't need much – her skin was rarely flawed and she had beautiful long black eyelashes, but she'd rather not have been seen without it regardless. Her honey blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she blew a cheeky kiss to the mirror before picking up her bag and keys and heading to her car.

'Mom? I'm going out now.' She had just uttered the words when she spotted a note on the table in the hallway. Picking it up, she squinted as she attempted to read her mother's scratchy handwriting.

_Been called into work. Remember to lock up if you go out. Love you baby. Mama x_

It was a good job she worked in an office with computers, Mimi noted, because if her work had required things to be hand-written, she was sure her mother would be out of a job.

'Silly mama,' she giggled.

* * *

The mall was filled with people; so many people in fact, that Mimi had to practically swim through the crowd to reach McDonald's, where she was supposed to meet Sora. Sure enough, there she was, waiting as promised when Mimi appeared to burst out of the mass of shoppers. Not that she could have missed her; Sora stuck out like a sore thumb with her bright red hair and equally bright fashion choices. Her hair was naturally a beautiful auburn colour, but she had made the decision to start dying it in a dark but vibrant red hue when she was sixteen, and it suited her. It made her big eyes stand out, and sometimes even Mimi wished she had the confidence to make a dramatic change like that.

'Oh! Christ, that was one hell of a mission,' Mimi gasped as she straightened up and tidied her ponytail, catching her breath.

Sora giggled. 'I can tell.'

'Are we going in or what? I'm starving and I'm pretty sure my stomach thinks my throat's been cut.'

With another laugh, Sora took Mimi's arm and guided her inside. 'Yes! We'll eat and then we'll buy new clothes for tonight. Matt did tell you about Izzy's party, right?'

'Of course. Though it'll probably go tits up.'

'What, the party?'

'Mm-hmm.' Mimi nodded.

'Why? There'll only be a few of us there.'

'I mean for me. It's _Izzy,_ so you know Tai's gonna be there. And possibly Kari.'

'Oh lord.'

'Oh lord indeed.' Mimi sighed. 'Still, I'm going anyway. When have a few jerks ever stopped Mimi Tachikawa from having fun?'

'Do you think you'll talk to him?' Sora's voice suddenly became strained, and Mimi could have sworn she detected a hint of panic in it. She frowned and raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

'I highly doubt it. Why?'

'It's just that I don't like confrontation. It makes me feel uneasy.'

'Oh please, you're usually the first to lose your shit when someone fucks up – you're too much like Matt in that sense. Too hot-headed, that's what you guys are. Come on, I'm wasting away here!'

The girls sat down at a table with the food they ordered and sighed. Surprisingly it wasn't too busy, a handful of people sat at tables chatting and eating, but of course, that only meant that Mimi and Sora were in full view of everyone in the restaurant. Which, as it turned out, was not a good thing.

'Holy crap,' Mimi said quietly, bending her head so that a few loose strands of hair concealed her face as she dropped her voice and gestured to Sora. 'Table to the right.'

Sora glanced over to the table nearest to them, and if Mimi wasn't mistaken, her face completely drained of colour. 'Shit, Meems, don't even think about saying anything.'

'Why would I do that?'

'Just don't.'

Mimi's efforts to go relatively unnoticed were in vain, and someone calling her name forced her to lift her head and look in the direction of the voice. Matt waved at her sheepishly with a sympathetic smile and turned his attention back to his food, giving his brother TK a slap on the wrist when the younger blonde tried to swipe one of his fries. Sitting with Matt and TK was Tai, and a girl Mimi recognised from the year below at school.

'Is that Kaya Clayton?' Sora whispered.

'It is indeed.'

'What's she doing with Tai?'

'What do you _think _she's doing?' The two girls looked over discreetly to see Kaya laughing and playing with Tai's hair, with Tai's arm wrapped protectively around her waist and a big grin on his face as he tapped her nose. Mimi felt a knot in her stomach, and since she was now munching on fries, she was pretty sure it wasn't because she was hungry. _Is that jealousy?_ She asked herself. _No, of course it isn't. It's just weird seeing an ex treating someone else the way they once treated you, that's all. _In an attempt to hide her discomfort, she pretended to gag. 'I think I just threw up in my mouth.'

Sora gave her a sympathetic look and smiled. 'Yeah, it's pretty gross,' she said quietly. A silence fell on them for a while until Sora broke it after some consideration. 'It's ok to be a little sad, Meems.'

Mimi looked up at her with a mouth full of food. 'What are you talking about?'

'Oh god, that's ladylike.' She shook her head. 'It's just… Tai. With a girl. It's got to be a little unsettling for you.'

'Sora, we dated for a while last year. It's not like we were married or anything.'

'But before… he was one of your best friends. And now-'

'Sora, just stop. Please. Let me eat, and we'll go shopping. And then we can get very, very drunk tonight so that I can forget what I saw today… not because it upsets me… but because it's gross. Right?'

Sora nodded, taking the hint. 'Right.'

The pair finished and stood up. Mimi took Sora's arm and they headed for the door, giving Matt and TK a smile before they passed. They had only taken a couple of steps past the table the boys were sitting at when Mimi was stopped in her tracks by a quiet but high pitched voice.

'Tramp.'

She turned around to see Kaya smirking at her, practically sitting on Tai's lap and looking remarkably pleased that she had turned Mimi's attention to them. Mimi crossed her arms defensively. 'Excuse me?' She took a step towards her. 'What did you just call me?'

'A tramp,' Kaya replied confidently. Mimi watched as Matt closed his eyes and put his head in his hands.

'Mimi come on, leave it, she's not worth it,' Sora pleaded. She grabbed Mimi's arm and tried to pull her away, but Mimi was having none of it.

'No, Sora, stop.' She turned back to Kaya. It was only then that she noticed that Tai was not looking at her, instead staring at the table with a slightly guilty look on his face. 'You're being uncharacteristically quiet today,' she said to him. 'What, did you get bored of throwing insults at me so you got your girlfriend to do it for you?' Tai said nothing and Mimi caught Matt giving him a sympathetic look that made her wonder what was wrong with him.

'He doesn't tell me what to do,' spat Kaya. 'But I know all about you. And from what I've heard, he's well shot of you.'

'Kaya, stop it,' Tai interrupted.

Mimi felt her temper flaring so badly that she could almost taste the venom on her tongue and she was no longer wondering why Tai was so keen for his new pet to shut up. 'No, Tai. I'd like to know why your _girlfriend_ thinks it's alright to falsely accuse girls of being tramps.'

'Hardly a false accusation, is it?' Kaya smirked.

Mimi shoved her bag into Sora's arms and launched herself at Kaya. 'You little-'

Matt got up from the table and stood in front of Mimi before she had the chance to wipe the smirk off the smug blonde's face. 'Alright, that's enough. Meems, you're better than this, you know you are. And you,' he pointed at Kaya, 'don't know her well enough to have an opinion of her.' Kaya sulked and leaned against Tai, who suddenly didn't seem to enjoy being so close to her anymore, while Matt turned back to Mimi - whose face was red with frustration – and put his hands on her shoulders. 'I'm sorry, Meems. Just go and do what you need to do and I'll see you tonight. Ok?'

'Fine.' She wriggled out of his grasp, snatched her bag from Sora and turned on her heel, storming out and ignoring Matt's loud sigh behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Guys... I am so sorry in advance for this god-awful chapter. I wrote it like three times, and I can't seem to word it right -.- Anyway, it's a long one... and for you Michi fans there's probably a slightly disappointing event at the end... but it'll work itself out, we'll get there, otherwise it would be in the Tai x Mimi pairing :) Hope you stick it out to the end despite this chapter lol :) Thank you very much for my reviews, they give me motivation :) Oh... and we'll find out more about the fight in chapter one soon :)

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

Mimi smiled at her reflection. She had washed and curled her shiny hair, applied her makeup flawlessly and put on black skinny jeans and a bright pink blouse, teamed with high heeled pumps of the same girly shade. Sparkly diamond studs adorned her ears and a pretty silver 'M' charm hung loosely around her neck. She was a little nervous about attending Izzy's get together, but even so, she was determined to appear as though she hadn't a care in the world. Maybe if she acted like nothing was bothering her, she would actually be able to convince herself that it was true. At least, that's what she told herself as she placed her manicured hands on her hips and gave the mirror a self-assured smirk. _Confidence is key, _she reminded herself. Speaking of confidence, she looked the epitome of it. Her blouse was a see-through chiffon material – making her black lace bra visible beneath it – so there was no possibility of being a wallflower, not that Mimi minded much. She was a very popular girl, especially with the opposite sex, and when compared with most of the girls at Odaiba High School, there was absolutely no competition. She was queen bee. So she wasn't about to let herself go now just because a few people had formed some inaccurate opinions of her.

'You look good,' she told her reflection. 'And you're going out for Izzy's birthday, nothing or no one else matters.'

She put on her black coat and picked up her pink studded purse before heading down the stairs and peering around the kitchen door.

'I'm going out now, Mama,' she said.

Her mother stood at the kitchen table, apron on and watching a news report on the television while vigorously stirring some kind of cake mix. At the sound of Mimi's voice, she turned to look at her made-up face and smiled. 'Alright. Where are you going?'

'It's Izzy's birthday tomorrow, he's having a small party tonight.'

'A party?' Mrs Tachikawa raised an eyebrow. She had never been comfortable with Mimi socialising with people her mother didn't know.

'It'll be respectable and completely alcohol-free Mama,' she lied. There was a pause as she felt her mother eyeing her up suspiciously. 'Matt and Sora will be there. Matt's picking me up.'

Mrs Tachikawa visibly relaxed. 'Oh, alright. They're good kids, aren't they?' she sighed as Mimi nodded and watched as she returned to her mixing, giving her the chance to leave the house quickly before more questions arose. She turned around and walked towards the front door before being called to a halt.

'Mimi?'

She winced. 'Yeah, Mom?'

Mrs Tachikawa stood in the hallway smiling. 'Let's have a look at you, then.'

Mimi looked down in panic, almost sighing in relief when she saw that she'd remembered to button her coat up. She pulled it up a little further to hide the see-through material of her top. Her mother gave her a funny look and Mimi quickly came up with a distraction. 'Do you like my new shoes? They were in the sale, aren't they to _die _for? Matt says they're far too high and that I paid too much for them, but Sora loves them. She has the same ones in navy blue, and they look _amazing _on her, especially with that gorgeous red hair of hers. I bet she'll be wearing them tonight, probably with the dress she bought today,-'

'Sora? A dress?' Her mother interrupted.

'I know, madness isn't it? Sora! In a dress! Anyway, I really like it, I might buy myself one, though it probably won't look as good on me,-'

'Mimi.' Mrs Tachikawa stood with her hands on her hips and an amused expression on her face while her flustered daughter fought to catch her breath and blew into her face to calm her pink cheeks. 'Do you ever come up for air?'

'Sometimes,' Mimi replied sheepishly.

'You look beautiful,' she said, grinning and shaking her head. 'Go. Enjoy yourself. But I'll be out when you get home, so behave.'

'I will, mama.' She blew her mother a kiss and left the house, closing the door behind her and leaning on it, sighing dramatically before making her way up the long driveway and getting into the cab she had called and greeting the driver. 'Hey.'

'Where am I taking you?'

'Tynam Road, please. And thanks for waiting out of view.'

'Ah,' said the driver knowingly. 'Parents don't know you're going to a party?'

'Sort of,' Mimi replied. 'My mom knows, she just thinks my friend is picking me up. She has some trust issues.'

'I see,' he replied with a smirk. He saw the questioning look Mimi was giving him and continued. 'Probably don't want to tell her about the copious amounts of alcohol at this party, then.'

Mimi gasped. 'Oh, we're not-'

The driver laughed raucously. 'My sister's kid is going to the same party, she doesn't have a clue but luckily for him, I'm the cool uncle.' He tapped his nose. 'Don't worry, love. Your secret's safe with me.'

She sat back, put her seatbelt on and smiled. _This guy, _she thought. _This guy is cool._

* * *

'Honestly, that gas, I've never heard anything like it. I thought his bowels were gonna fall out!'

Mimi roared with laughter. 'Oh my god, that's disgusting,' she said, holding her stomach. 'I think your brother needs to steer clear of sushi from now on, then.'

'Damn straight,' replied the driver, amused at both the memory and Mimi's reaction. 'Right, we're here.'

'Oh. Right.' Mimi handed him her money and winked. 'Keep the change, because you're pretty awesome.'

He laughed. 'Thanks, love. Have a good night.'

'You too!' She stood next to the road and waved as the taxi drove away. A smile appeared on her lips as she realised that the cab driver had cheered her up no end, and that she was no longer nervous about the party.

Until she turned around.

There, standing on the porch with a bottle of beer in his hand, was Tai. And he wasn't alone. His sister stood next to him, chatting loudly until she noticed Mimi walking towards them with a false look of confidence on her face, and then they were looking right at her. At least, one of them was. Tai bent his head to look at the ground, something Mimi found to be almost laughable, since he hardly ever had any problems with staring daggers at her when he passed her at school. She tried her hardest to hold herself together and stroll right past them, but she was stopped the moment she reached the porch.

'Lowering yourself to taxi drivers now, I see,' the girl spat.

Mimi raised an eyebrow at the fifteen year old and smirked in spite of her nerves. 'Oh Kari, shouldn't you be in bed by now?'

'At least _my_ bed's empty. How many are in yours tonight?'

'Kari.' Tai stared at his sister, willing her to shut up, and she did so immediately.

Mimi looked at him and frowned. 'No, I want to hear this.' She turned back to Kari and crossed her arms, standing tall over the girl's five feet two frame. 'What was that supposed to mean?'

She felt a hard pressure on her wrist and turned to see that Tai had grabbed it. 'Seriously, Meems. Leave it.'

'Don't 'Meems' _me_,' she hissed. 'And take your hand _off_ me.' She yanked her wrist out of his grasp and glared at the two of them before storming into the house, her nerves replaced with annoyance. _Who the hell does that little bitch think she is?_

Izzy's 'small get together' turned out to be not so small after all. The house wasn't exactly filled to the rafters, but a number of his friends had clearly bought their own friends, and with them, alcohol. Quite a lot of it as well, Mimi assumed, since a lot of people were already dancing to loud music and laughing without a care in the world. _Wonder how long it'll be before the cops are called, _she thought. She was jolted from her thoughts when she felt a finger poke her waist.

'Hey, you.' Matt appeared at Mimi's side and handed her a cup containing an orange liquid. 'You look nice.'

'Thank you, you scrub up quite well yourself,' she replied, eyeing the cup in her hand.

'I don't even know what is, but it's pretty good.' Matt winked at her as he finished his drink and watched her take a sip of hers. Then he abandoned his cup and grabbed her by the waist.

'Woah, what-'

'Come dance with me.'

'Matt-'

'Meems, you've had a stick up your ass today whether you want to admit it or not, just let go, you kinda deserve it. Come on!'

Mimi sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically, but grinned all the same. 'Fine,' she said with a giggle, and she allowed him to lead her to the spacious living room, which was full of people dancing to the loud music. She laughed as Matt spun her around dramatically and danced with her in such a fashion that had everyone not been drunk, they would have stared. Taking a shaky sip from her cup and trying not to spill it in her movements, Mimi smiled. The first completely genuine, innocent smile in what felt like forever. She liked drunk Matt. Drunk Matt was a lot of fun. He had his issues and at times he came across as a very troubled young man, but there was one thing no one doubted: Matt Ishida knew how to have a good time. She looked at him in amusement and admiration. Matt's ability to be friends with both her and Tai impressed her. In truth, and although she would never admit it, she sometimes felt a twinge of annoyance that Matt was still friends with the man who broke her heart, but she couldn't blame him entirely. He wasn't just her best friend; he was Tai's also, and with that position came a responsibility to try and see both sides of a story. He was a good friend, there was no doubt about it. When he saw that Tai had left Mimi for apparently no reason and started hurling insults at her, it didn't take long for calm, supportive Matt to turn into protective madman Matt; he flipped and then didn't talk to Tai for several months before he was told by Mimi that life was too short, and that they should just end their rift. Mimi could remember the argument that took place the day after it had all happened.

* * *

_They stood in the corridor at school, surrounded by students who just wanted a glimpse of one of the famous Kamiya vs Ishida fights, and it looked as though there was one heading their way._

'_She knows exactly why!'_

'_No, she doesn't Tai, that's why she's asked. It's why I'm asking now! What did she do to you? Why are you being such a dick to her?' Silence. 'Did you find someone else?'_

_Tai let out a loud 'ha!' and shook his head in disbelief. The lack of a denial only told Matt that he was hiding something. Both boys had their fists clenched, and Mimi sensed that it was only a matter of time before one or both of them got hurt._

'_Matt, please.'_

'_Mimi, he's making you feel like shit and I'm not standing for it. Why are you letting him do this? Why won't you just let me kick his head in and be done with it?'_

'_Oh please,' Tai interrupted. 'Let you kick my head in? What are you, her pet? Keep it up Ishida, you'll be in her bed in no time.'_

_The next thing people saw was Tai being knocked backwards by the force of Matt's fist colliding with his jaw. Matt stood over him, gritting his teeth, his eyes dark with anger. 'Some of us treat women with respect for other reasons, Kamiya.' And with that, he walked away followed by a shocked Mimi, leaving the other students moaning about the fact that Tai never made the effort to get up and fight back. In the months that followed, Matt missed Tai terribly. They would cross paths at school, completely ignoring each other until one day Mimi could no longer stand it._

'_Go talk to him, Yama.'_

'_Are you kidding? He won't want to talk to me.'_

'_You guys have had fights worse than that; that was nothing. I know Tai, he'll be missing you. And I know you miss him too. I'm right aren't I?'_

_Matt nodded._

'_Then why are you both being so petty? Life's too short for all this drama! I love you for standing up for me Matt, but I hate to see you so miserable. Just go and talk to your best friend. I'll still be here, I promise. Go.'_

* * *

The lively song ended, and Matt pulled Mimi close to him so that she could hear him. 'I'm just gonna go talk to TK. You coming?'

Mimi shook her head. TK Takaishi wasn't just Matt's younger brother, he was Kari's boyfriend, and although Mimi loved him to pieces, she didn't feel as though she could be bothered with any more confrontation. 'No, you go, I'm gonna go look for Sora.'

'Suit yourself.' Matt gave her a cheeky wink and headed in the direction of his brother, who was laughing with a group of boys.

Mimi was getting frustrated with the amount of people in the house, and she was just about to give up and go back to Matt when she looked through a window and saw Sora sitting by herself on the back garden. She filled up another cup and went outside, approaching her with caution. Sora was her best friend and she would have done anything for Mimi, but she was known for having a fiery temper, especially when she was drunk, and at that moment, she did _not _look happy.

Mimi pulled a stray weed out of the brick wall and sat on it next to her. 'Sora? You ok?'

Sora blinked and smiled. It was forced, Mimi noticed, and it wasn't like Sora to hide her feelings. 'Yeah, I'm fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes Meems, I'm sure.' There was a short pause before the subject was changed. 'Have you seen…'

'Tai?' Mimi snorted. 'You don't have to avoid saying his name around me, you know. But yeah. He was outside with Kari when I got here.' An unidentifiable expression covered Sora's face and Mimi found herself thinking it was one of panic. 'Why? Has something happened?'

'Did he say anything?'

'Nothing interesting.'

'Oh.' Her voice echoed with relief, and Mimi frowned. _What's going on?_

'Is everything ok?'

'Yeah, fine. Listen, you go back inside, it's freezing out here, I'm gonna go in a minute, it's too loud for me in there.'

'Oh no, I was hoping we could have a dance – you know, forget our problems and all that?'

Sora snorted. 'Meems, that's so cliché.'

'I know. Well… you want to come back here with me tomorrow or something? I've still got to give Izzy his present.'

'Sounds good. Meet you at yours at eleven thirty?'

'It's a date.' Mimi hugged Sora and gave her a ladylike air kiss, and sat back down as she watched her friend leave. _Probably PMS-ing, _she thought dismissively. After a while of staring at the garden, she stood up with the intention of looking for Izzy. She hadn't bought his present with her, instead planning to give it to him on his actual birthday, but she wanted to give him a hug and thank him for inviting her anyway. That plan went down the toilet though, since the person her eyes fell on when she turned around was the one person she wanted to avoid all night.

'It's cold out.' Tai's voice was oddly quiet, but it was low and slightly cold nonetheless. Mimi said nothing and glared at him until he chose to break the silence. 'I'm sorry. About my sister. She's not so good at handling her liquor. I guess there's a reason kids shouldn't drink.'

'And Kaya?'

'Kaya… is just a little forward.'

'Understatement of the century.' Mimi couldn't help but sound grumpy, and with Tai blocking her way back into the house, she sat back down. 'And what about you? You've been a prize prick lately, too.'

'Uh…' Tai sat next to her and she fidgeted away so that there was more space between them. 'Yeah. I'm not exactly an expert at holding my tongue.'

'I'll say. Why would you need to hold your tongue anyway? Why does your bitch think I'm a tramp, and what the hell was your sister talking about earlier?'

'I uh,' he stuttered. 'Listen, Mimi, I've been thinking-'

'Careful. That could be dangerous.'

'Yeah whatever. But, um… the reason I left…' Mimi leaned in and listened closely. _Was she about to get her closure?_ 'Doesn't make the way I've treated you ok.'

She leaned back again and sighed. _Maybe not._ 'Unbelievable.'

'What?'

'Well you know, I was kinda hoping for an explanation.'

'Mimi-,'

'No, it's ok, clearly I'm not worth one.'

'Will you just listen to me for one second? Damn,' he said as Mimi raised an eyebrow. 'I never told anyone the reason I left because it… well let's just say it bruised my ego a little. But last night I pulled myself together and told Matt. And he said that it was completely ridiculous, and it got me thinking… maybe you didn't deserve the stuff I said to you.'

'You think?' Mimi paused and then realised something. 'Wait… You told Matt? And he didn't tell me?'

'I swore the guy to secrecy, Mimi, don't get on his back. You know how much he hates the situation.'

'You _swore_ him to secrecy? What are you, twelve?' She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. 'So… you told my best friend. Are you going to tell me? Or will I be the last person on the planet to know what I did wrong?'

'Well, see… I was going to confront you about it not too long after we broke up-,'

Mimi groaned loudly. 'Then tell me, damn it!'

'Uh…' Tai fiddled with his hands in his lap nervously. 'You... I think…I thought… you cheated on me.'

Mimi's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Wait, _what?_ That is insane, Tai! And you didn't think to ask me about it? You would rather have just left because thinking about it 'bruised your ego'? You'd rather break my heart than just ask me?'

Tai shifted uncomfortably, with an expression that made him look like he desperately wanted to say something, but couldn't. 'It wasn't easy for me either, you know.'

Mimi gritted her teeth furiously. 'Oh! Oh, I'm sorry! Can you hear that? That's the world's smallest violin, playing just for you! 'Wasn't easy for me.' Good god, can you hear yourself?'

'Mimi-,'

'I had no idea you thought so little of me. Why could you not trust me? Was I not good enough for you? Did I not give you enough? See, I'd have thought that years and years of friendship and trust, along with my _virginity_-_' _she whispered the word – 'would have meant more to you, but clearly not. Why, Tai? Why the hell didn't you just ask?'

'I was going to… I planned on growing some balls and talking to you about it when I'd calmed down. But I did something stupid before I left you…while I was angry. Like, payback or something, I dunno.'

Mimi narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly suspicious. She spoke slowly, as if preparing herself for bad news. 'What did you do?'

Tai rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. 'I'm so sorry, Mimi.'

'JUST TELL ME!'

'I slept with someone.'

His words took her breath away, and she felt the urge to cry, but the tears never came. She felt the lump in her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to feel…anything. She was momentarily numb before she stood up and took a step back. 'You,' she said coldly, 'are a coward, Tai Kamiya.'

She stood up and went back inside, feeling lightheaded from the alcohol and slightly unsteady on her feet, her forehead in a deep frown.

'This party sucks,' she said quietly to herself.

* * *

In the house, Mimi saw that even more guests had arrived and she forgot about her initial plan to find Izzy. Instead she thought about her lying, cheating ex-boyfriend and the pain he'd caused her. The uncertainty, the confusion. She thought about how loving he used to be, how attentive, how… perfect. She'd loved him and she thought he'd loved her; they'd known each other since they were children, experienced everything together, given each other their virginities, and sworn to never let anything come between them. _What a joke, _she thought as she grabbed another cup and filled it. _He never cared. The only people who ever gave a damn when things got rough were Sora and… Matt._

_Matt_.

Matt had been there for her. Matt had looked after her when she'd needed it, and never pitied her the way other people had when Tai left. Loyal Matt. Dark, mysterious Matt with a sweet side only visible to the people he cared about. Very, very _drunk_ Matt. A thought crossed Mimi's mind, and she immediately felt guilty, but she was angry. The way Tai said he had been when he decided to cheat on her as 'payback'. For something she hadn't even done. _Maybe I can get some payback of my own, _she thought. Matt was drunk anyway; he probably wouldn't even remember in the morning. _Besides, I could do a LOT worse than Yamato Ishida._ Maybe she didn't even want payback. Maybe she just wanted to be with the guy who treated her well and looked after her. It seemed like the more logical explanation for her irrational thinking.

Finding him didn't take too long; he was still with TK and their friends – who was practically trying to hold his big brother up – laughing and being generally lovey-dovey in his drunken state. He spotted Mimi and threw his arm around her as she approached.

'Meems! Come here, come here.' He ushered her towards TK and the other boys and grinned, his arm draped heavily over her shoulders. 'Guys, this is my beautiful best friend, Mimi. Isn't she beautiful? She's beautiful, isn't she?' Mimi blushed causing the boys to laugh and one of them had the nerve to reply.

'Too hot for you, Ishida.'

'Hey! You could only get a woman like this in your dreams, dude.' Matt replied.

Mimi turned to look at him and lowered her voice slightly. 'Matt, can we go somewhere private?'

'How private?' he winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

'Matt! Please?'

'Alright, alright, upstairs bathroom?'

'Yeah, whatever.'

The two left, with Mimi holding onto Matt's arm so as not to lose him in the still-growing crowd and ignoring the wolf whistles TK and the others were giving them.

The bathroom was surprisingly free; but then, there were three more downstairs, people were probably using them. Closing the door behind her, Mimi looked at Matt and sighed.

'Sup, Meems?'

'You knew why Tai left.'

He paled. 'Mimi, you know I would have told you but I thought it was best if he did. Something like that shouldn't have to come from me.' His words were a little slurred, but he was being honest. He was always honest. His voice cracked a little. 'Don't be mad at me, Meems, please…' he tipsily wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned on her a little, causing her to be nudged backwards under his weight. 'I'm sorry Mimi. It's so hard. Trying to be faithful to both you and Tai, even though he makes it difficult. I can't lose you.' _God, he is VERY drunk,_ thought Mimi as she took his face in her hands, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction when she saw his bleary eyes darken. He placed his hands on her arms to steady himself.

_You idiot, Mimi,_ her subconscious screamed at her.

She ignored it. 'You won't, Yama,' she said softly. 'Ever.'

_What the hell are you doing!?_

And with that she bought his lips to hers and kissed him.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't know much about universities, so forgive me if it isn't entirely accurate, just go with it ;) Also, I'm fairly sure the legal drinking age in Japan is 20, but I could be wrong, so yeah... **

**:)**

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR

The moment Mimi's lips touched Matt's, she felt sick. He wasn't bad by any means - he was actually a very good kisser considering the fact that he was drunk – but she so badly regretted her actions that she wasn't sure she would be able to keep down the alcohol she'd been drinking for much longer.

'Oh my god.' _What have I just done? _ 'Matt… I am so… I mean, I shouldn't… oh god.'

Matt stood still for a second, a small frown lingering on his forehead and a finger to his lips as though he couldn't quite believe the kiss had happened. 'Did… did you just-'

'I didn't mean to. I mean, I did, but…' she sat on the side of the bathtub and put her head in her hands.

'Why? Why did you do that?' Matt's voice was quiet, and Mimi noticed that his words didn't sound as slurred as they did before. She figured that her stupidity had probably shocked him into sobering a little.

'I don't know. I mean… Tai told me… and then I was angry, and I-'

'Thought I'd be a good prop for your revenge?' Matt raised his voice held his arms out by his sides in his rising anger, and Mimi looked up at him sharply, worry and regret plastered on her face. 'Is that it, huh? Did you just try to use me to get back at Tai?'

'No! Yes… Maybe. I thought about it, but I felt guilty, and then I had this… revelation. I realised how good you've always been to me, and for a moment I was certain that it was a sign that I was mean to be with you. It was stupid, I know, but I'm so mad and confused and I keep asking myself why I can never find someone like you, someone who actually loves me and wouldn't hurt me, and I'm so sorry Yama, I'm so sorry…' Mimi trailed off as she stopped fighting the lump in her throat and allowed herself to cry inconsolably. She cowered a little as she heard Matt sigh and felt him sit down and put his arm around her.

'Don't be,' he said quietly. 'Don't be sorry.' He sat with her, stroking her hair and letting her cry, all the while staring at the wall and wondering how it felt to be so frustrated by not having answers, then receiving them in such a way that the heart breaks. Because that is what was happening there – Mimi's heart was breaking. He didn't think about what she'd done, not even why she'd done it; he only thought about what was going through her head when she _had_ done it. 'You're hurting,' he said quietly. We don't need to fight about this.'

Mimi lifted her head suddenly as she remembered something. 'The fight.' She grabbed some toilet roll and dabbed at her watery, makeup-stained eyes. 'The fight at school. Tai looked at me weird, you saw him. Do you know what that was about? Did he tell you that too?'

Matt pursed his lips for a moment and nodded. He hesitated and only elaborate when Mimi gave him an urging look. 'That kid, the one he was fighting with – his name is Jet. He's kinda… had his eye on you for a while-'

'And you didn't think to tell me?'

'I didn't think it was important! It's not like he's the kind of guy you'd even look twice at.'

'I guess.'

'Anyway… Apparently – and this is just Tai's version of events - Jet was being pretty cocky with his friends, talking about you and the stuff he wanted to 'do to you'. It was around that time that Tai happened to walk past and overhear everything. He was going to just brush it off but then he heard one of Jet's pathetic little sidekicks ask how he was planning on getting a girl like you. And he said…' Matt trailed off.

'And he said…?'

'… He said that girls like you were easy, that he wouldn't even have to make the effort… and that he wouldn't want to make the effort for a one-night kinda girl anyway.'

Mimi gasped. '_One-night kinda girl?_ Seriously? The cheek of it!'

'Yeah well… Tai didn't have to hear any more. He flipped out. Pretty much threw his bag down and challenged Jet on the spot. It didn't take a confession to make Jet realise that Tai still had feelings for you, so he started provoking him, and you know how easily aggravated Tai is these days. He just… lost it.'

'But why would he look at me like he did?'

'He says it's because he's angry that he's not even with you and yet you can still bring a reaction like that out of him.'

'That's hardly my fault!'

'Yeah, well. He has a lot of anger, and he doesn't know where to place it right now.'

'He should try placing it on himself.' Mimi shook her head and then blew her nose in a rather unladylike fashion.

Matt took his arm away from her and looked at her seriously. 'That wouldn't be the best thing to do, would it? He's been a dick, but I can't have him hurting himself because he can't control his temper. I won't even feel bad for admitting that I'd rather see him take it out on the dude who trash-talked you.'

'Matt?' Mimi looked at him. 'I'm gonna ask you something, and I know you have Tai's back like you have mine, but I need you to be honest with me.' Matt frowned. 'Do you know who Tai slept with?'

He shook his head. 'No, Meems. And if I did, I probably wouldn't tell you anyway.'

'What? Why?'

He smirked. 'Because I don't care if it was a woman, a man, or a fucking horse, I'd be too busy getting out there and making their life miserable.'

Mimi let out a small laugh. 'But you wouldn't do that to Tai. And he's the one at fault.'

He shifted uncomfortably. 'Tai's different.'

'Yeah, I know. I understand, I know it must be hard for you.'

'I manage.'

A silence fell upon the two, and they both stared at the wall, Matt twiddling his thumbs and Mimi playing with the soggy tissue in her hands until she felt brave enough to point out the thing that she had realised the moment she had pulled away from their kiss. 'Matt?'

'Hmm?'

'You kissed me back.'

He looked at her in amusement. 'I'm drunk, Meems. No disrespect, but if you expect me to say no when a pretty girl throws herself at me when I've been drinking, then I'm afraid you don't know me at all.'

'You perv,' she replied with a smile. 'I do love you, you know.'

'Enough to give me another kiss?' he asked jokingly.

'Get out,' she replied with a short laugh as she slapped his arm.

'Worth a shot,' he joked, and he got up and held his hand out for her. 'Come on, let's find Izzy and then we'll get out of here.'

Mimi nodded, and took his hand, checking her makeup in the mirror as she stood up. They were just about to leave the bathroom, when she pulled on his hand, turning him abruptly to face her. 'Thank you. For being my best friend.' She stood on her toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. 'There's that kiss you asked for.'

'Aww, that's it?' he groaned, and laughed as Mimi shook her head and led him back downstairs as he stumbled tipsily.

It took a while to find Izzy in the ever-growing crowd, and they were relieved when they did. Mimi wrapped her arms around him and put her face near his ear so that he could hear her.

'Sorry we didn't get to spend much time together Izzy, but we're gonna head off now. Thanks for inviting us.'

Izzy shook his head. 'It's alright Meems. But guys,' he looked to Mimi and then to Matt. 'It's about time you got out of here anyway, I just overheard someone saying the cops have been called.'

'Wondered how long it would be,' Mimi thought aloud.

'We'd better scoot, then,' said Matt. 'Great party, Iz.' Mimi looked at him funnily. Well, it wasn't entirely untrue. People seemed to be having fun, anyway.

Izzy nodded, and slapped Matt on the back playfully. 'Thanks for coming, guys.'

Matt took Mimi's arm and headed for the front door. 'Let's go before the police get here.' He opened it and was about to let Mimi pass through first when he slammed it shut again. 'Too late.' He grabbed her hand and pulled her through crowds of people, heading to the back garden. Mimi had no choice but to be pulled along behind him, unable to resist giggling at Matt's determination. Outside, they stopped and looked around.

'Who the hell doesn't have a gate in their garden?' Mimi asked.

'Izzy's parents, apparently.' He led Mimi to a wall at the end of the garden. 'Come here.'

She looked up at the wall disbelievingly. 'Oh you have got to be kidding me.'

'Does it look like I'm joking? Quick.' He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, then linked his fingers together so that she could stand on his hands to climb the wall.

'Seriously? In these shoes?'

'Mimi, just take them off, dammit!'

'Alright, alright!' She put a perfectly pedicured foot on Matt's hands and clambered onto the wall, holding her shoes tightly as she noticed more of Izzy's guests seeming to get the same idea. She watched with a small giggle as Matt climbed onto a plant pot and swung himself onto the wall, knocking the plant over in the process. The two of them looked behind them at the people who were freaking out, then looked down.

'Ohhhh-kay, this is higher than I thought it would be.' Matt shuddered.

Mimi smirked at him. She was feeling brave with drinks inside her and an escape route in front of her. 'Pussy.'

'Pussy? Do you know who you're talking to?'

'Yep. I'm talking to a big fat wuss,' she teased as she poked him in the chest.

'Oh yeah?' Mimi nodded patronisingly. 'I'll show you,' Matt smirked, and he grabbed her hand and jumped off, pulling her with him.

'Oh my god!' The pair stumbled as they landed on the sidewalk, and Mimi looked up to see Matt lying still, his eyes closed. She crawled over to him and nudged him softly. 'Matt? Yama?' _Oh no…_

'BOO!'Matt suddenly opened his eyes, causing Mimi to jump back in surprise holding her hand over her chest.

She glared at him as he roared with laughter. 'I fucking hate you, Ishida.'

'Nah you don't. Besides, it was high… but it wasn't _that_ high. You're so gullible, it's brilliant.' He clutched his stomach as he laughed.

'Yeah, yeah, sure. Get up, we need to go.'

'Alright, Miss Boring, I'm coming.'

* * *

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, Matt and Mimi ended up at a park. They sat on the swings and Mimi looked around, trying to remember where she'd seen this park before.

'I recognise this place,' she said quietly.

'My parents used to bring me and TK here before they split up.'

'Yeah… I think my daddy bought me here once.'

'I'm sorry, Meems.'

'It's ok.' She paused, remembering her father's face, his gentle eyes, his brown, grey-flecked hair, and the wonderful hugs that always made her feel loved and safe, even when he became weak and fragile with illness. 'It was a long time ago.'

There was a long pause until Matt spoke quietly. 'He'd be very proud of you, you know.'

Mimi smiled sadly. 'Yeah.' She felt herself slipping into a dark place, and she changed the subject quickly. 'You still drunk?' She stood up in surprise as Matt suddenly slipped and fell off the swing, giggling childishly.

'That answer your question?' he asked.

'At least you didn't pretend to die on me this time,' she smirked, shaking her head.

'You would have believed it though. I think the prize for the World's Most Naïve Person definitely goes to you,' he laughed.

'Idiot.' They sat back down and sighed in unison.

'Do you think you'll ever work things out with Tai?' The randomness of Matt's question took Mimi aback.

'What makes you ask that?'

'I just… I dunno, it seems to me like there is one hell of a lot of unfinished business with you guys.'

'There is.' Mimi shocked herself with her own honesty. 'If things were different, I'd totally give him another chance, if he wanted it. But he… I don't think… I mean, how do you get past something like that?'

'I dunno. People have gotten through worse, though.'

'I guess. Hey, wanna hear something pathetic?' Matt looked at her, not wanting to answer. 'I had some university offers.'

'Meems, that's great! What's pathetic about that?'

'Two of them were the most important to me. There's an Academy of Dramatic Arts in America and one here in Tokyo. I got offers from both.'

'Yeaaah…still not getting the negativity from that.'

'Well I initially wanted the one in Tokyo because I knew that Tai was staying here to further his soccer career, and I wanted to be… closer to him. Even while he was being a prick to me, I still couldn't bear the thought of being so far away from him.'

'Oh, Meems.'

'But the one in America is so… exciting. I'd get to travel across the world, see new things, start a new life. But I just don't know what to do.'

'You still love him.'

Mimi sighed, tired of denying it to herself and the people around her. 'Of course I do. I just… I don't know if I can forgive him.'

'You don't have to right now. It'll take time. But you should at least tell him how you feel.'

A snort escaped Mimi's throat and she raised an eyebrow. 'Are you kidding? After the way I just walked away from him?'

'You mean like he did to you? Come on Meems. You just need to do whatever will make you happy. Think about it. Then decide on where you want to go.'

'You're right.' She smiled at him. 'I'll talk to him at school on Monday. Thank you.'

He returned her smile with a wicked grin that made Mimi feel instantly brighter. 'It's alright,' he said. 'I only want you to be happy.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Holy crap, this chapter is so _depressing._ But never fear, my highly cherished and appreciated readers, all will be looking up in the next chapter. I'm sorry for any mistakes, I am literally _so_ tired, I've been a little manic lately and now I'm just draaaained. Anyway, I'm off to bed to get some much needed beauty sleep. Hope you enjoy this chapter... goodnight ;)**

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

The long, dull corridors of Odaiba High School were beginning to annoy Mimi. She had scoured them in her mission to find Tai, and she was getting frustrated but she refused to even pause in her search in fear that she would have a sudden change of heart. Since Izzy's party and Matt's pep-talk, she had spent the rest of the weekend toying with the idea of actually speaking to Tai. She still wasn't sure what she was going to say when she found him – whether she was going to tell him the truth about her feelings, or if she would tell him just how mad she was at him and then feel the satisfaction of walking away knowing he was watching. Deep down though, she knew that she had to find him just to tell him… something. _Anything. _Because she couldn't bear the idea of walking away with words still unspoken. Matt was the only person who knew of her intentions to have a real conversation with Tai; she hadn't even told Sora when they'd gone back to a hungover Izzy's house the morning after the party to give him his birthday presents and help clean up because she was convinced that Sora would try to talk her out of it for her own sanity. Sora and Tai had been close at one point but they had drifted apart since his break-up with Mimi, and everyone just assumed that it had just been too difficult for Sora to keep her friendships with them both the way Matt had been able to. Either way, Mimi wanted to get the conversation with Tai over with before anyone had the chance to change her mind.

'Hey Meems.' Sora practically skipped up to Mimi and linked her arm with her own.

'Hey… I was just thinking about you.'

'Nothing bad, I hope.' She winked and flipped her shoulder length red hair over her shoulder. 'Anyway… you would not _believe_ the university offers I've had. I'm so excited-'

'Yeah, Sora… I'm sorry, I'd _love_ to hear all about it, but I kinda need to get home… My mom's invited her sister over and she's cooking up a big dinner, and you know how she feels about me being late when my family's round,' Mimi lied.

'Oh, yeah, _totally,'_ Sora replied, and Mimi stood still for a moment, expecting her to let go of her arm so that she could go to her mom's 'dinner'. But she didn't.

'Alright… looks like we're leaving school together…'

'Obviously. We always do, don't we?'

'Yeah. It's just that… never mind.' Mimi shook her head. _Looks like I won't get to speak to Tai after all, _she thought bitterly.

'What's wrong, Meems?'

'Nothing.' She looked at Sora's _I don't believe you_ face. 'Alright. To tell you the truth… I've been a little hung up on Tai.'

'Oh.' There was an awkward silence for a moment while Sora was searching for something to say. 'But… he's not worth the energy you use thinking about him. Have you forgotten the way he spoke to you?'

'No. But… I can't let him go, Sor. Not until he knows how mad at him I am and just how much he hurt me, even though I still care.' Mimi felt her eyes sting with unshed tears and Sora watched her blink them away furiously. Inside, her heart ached for her friend, but she'd been through enough, hadn't she? She hated to see Mimi hurt so bad, but…

'Mimi, he's not worth your tears. Besides, he's with that bitch now, and everyone in the school knows about Kaya's reputation, she'll hurt him and it'll be his karma.'

'But I don't want him to hurt.'

'You mean like you are right now? That's because of him, Meems.'

'Did you know he cheated on me? Because he thought I'd done it to him. Do you know who she is?'

'I don't get involved in Tai's personal life anymore,' said Sora, waving her hand dismissively. 'It's too messy.'

Mimi let out a quiet giggle. 'You can say that again.' There was a pause as she wiped away a tear that hadn't disappeared in her blinking. 'It's stupid, I don't even know the girl, and she's broken my heart.'

The sad expression on Mimi's face touched Sora, and she reached for her hand. 'It doesn't matter that you don't know who she is, Meems. It's in the past and we can't change what's already happened, no matter how much we'd like to. But if Tai is bothering you this much, then….' She took a deep breath. 'You should talk to him.'

Mimi looked at Sora in surprise. 'You've changed your tune.'

'Yeah, well. I hate to see you this unhappy. Especially when you've held yourself together for so long. Go on. Tell him how mad you are, get your closure and do what you think's best. Personally I think you'd be better off walking away with your head held high, but this is your decision. Go find him.'

'But I-'

'-Haven't got to go home for dinner.' Sora smirked. 'I know you well enough to know when you're spinning little white lies, Meems. Besides, you're really bad at it.'

'Dammit.'

'Yep. Come on, I think I saw him at the front of school earlier.'

* * *

It was a cool, windy day and Mimi struggled to keep her long hair out of her face while holding the skirt of her uniform down. Sora let go of her arm to hold her own hair back as she slowed her pace to walk behind Mimi. It looked funny to the people they walked past – like two girls on a serious mission. To Mimi, this _was_ a serious mission. She had been so determined to find Tai in a bid to talk to him and keep her promise to Matt, but now she felt herself shiver, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the sharp wind or because she had suddenly felt her nerves take over. Whatever it was though, she wasn't about to let it defeat her. Until…

'Shit.'

'What is it?' Sora came to an abrupt halt behind Mimi as she stopped suddenly, almost walking into her. She peered around her and saw what her friend was looking at. 'Oh.'

Tai was indeed standing near the front of school, just as Sora said he would be, but he wasn't alone. Talking to him was Kaya and her friend Mia, and next to them stood Kari, who was glaring at TK. The younger Kamiya sibling looked to be annoyed at something her boyfriend had said or done, and going by their body language – TK had his back to Kari – Mimi guessed that they were clearly in the middle of an argument.

'What do you think's going on?' Mimi asked quietly.

'You don't know?' Sora watched as Mimi shook her head. 'There's been some… _tension _between those two lately.'

'Why?'

'Kari wants TK to get along with Kaya, but he doesn't like her. Matt doesn't either.'

'Yeah well, she hasn't exactly got the most appealing personality in the world.'

'Matt's putting up with her for Tai, and TK for Kari. And from where I'm standing, it doesn't look like he'll be able to keep up the act for much longer.'

'So it seems.' Mimi stared at the group for a minute or two before she felt a tug on her sleeve.

'Come on Meems, let's go. You can talk to him another day.'

'No.' She pulled her arm out of Sora's grasp and turned to look at her. She looked… _worried._

'You know it'll only cause trouble.'

'I told Matt I would talk to Tai, and that is what I'm going to do. You can come with me or you can stay here, but either way, I have a feeling I'm gonna need a friend when it's over.'

Sora watched as Mimi turned on her heel and stalked towards the group. She wanted to stay where she was, out of sight and out of trouble, but her desire to stand by Mimi – especially since she hadn't always been the greatest friend – won in the end. She groaned loudly in defeat and followed her. Mimi was pleased to note that Tai didn't seem to be keen on the fact that his girlfriend was all over him, in fact he appeared to be pushing her away slightly. It was only when the five of them noticed Mimi and Sora that he suddenly wrapped his arms around Kaya, pulling her close to him and giving her the attention she so desperately craved. This display didn't go unnoticed by either girl, and they were both fully aware that it was entirely for Mimi's benefit.

'Oh, look who it is!' Kari exclaimed loudly as the girls approached.

'Back off, Kari,' said Mimi casually, shaking her head.

'Why?' Kari moved to stand in front of Tai before Mimi could reach him. She seemed to instantly regret the action as Mimi stopped and towered over her, but regained her confidence quickly. 'You treat my brother like dirt, act like a complete slut and then expect me to let you near him? Seems to me that it's only because he's moved on that you've realised what you've lost.'

Mimi glanced over the top of Kari's head at Tai and smiled. 'Still haven't told her, then?' Tai pulled Kaya even closer to him, but his confident smirk had vanished.

Kari looked at her brother. 'Told me what, Tai?'

Tai kept his mouth shut determinedly and glared at Mimi. She let out a snort and shook her head. 'I never cheated on your brother, Kari. _He _cheated on_ me. _Believe it or not, I loved him. I would never have done anything to hurt him. And he still chose to break my heart.'

'Tai?' Kari moved closer to her brother. 'Is that true?' His silence answered her question and she clenched her fists in frustration. 'You dick! You told me she'd hurt you! I said all those disgusting things to her, and you just stood by and let me and you _knew _it wasn't true.'

'Kari-'

'You lied to me! You've always told me that you'd never lie to me, and you did!'

'Kari, you are the last person in the world I'd want to hurt-'

'Tell it to someone who cares, _brother._' She spat the last word like it was dirty and scowled at him. 'You manipulated me into being a bitch to someone who used to be our friend and the whole time it was _you. _You are _not _the person I thought you were.'

'I'm so sorry, Kar.' Tai's voice was quiet, and if Mimi wasn't mistaken, she was sure she heard it crack.

Kari turned away from him furiously. 'Not that it means much now, but I'm sorry Mimi.' And with that, she walked straight past her and away from her brother. Mimi watched as she left, then turned to Tai with a worried expression.

'I didn't come here to cause trouble, Tai.'

'Then what did you come for?' he snarled. Mimi said nothing. 'Do you have any idea what you've just done?'

'Me?'

'Yes you! You just turned the person I care about more than anything in the world against me!'

'You did that by yourself, Tai, you know that.'

'Why did you come here, Mimi? I don't even want to look at you.'

'I… I just…'

'Just what? Because it looks like you just wanted to fuck things up.'

'Fuck things up? Are you serious? You cheated on _me_!'

'Do you blame him?' Kaya's voice was a little quieter than Tai and Mimi's, but it still drew everyone's attention to her.

'Excuse me?'

'Look at you. What do you have to offer, really?'

Now Mimi was mad. She wasn't usually the bragging type, but there were a few things she needed to point out to Kaya to set the record straight. She scowled and crossed her arms. 'Do you know who I am?'

'Odaiba's biggest slut?'

_Now she's asking for it._

'Listen here, little girl. I'm Mimi Tachikawa, heir to the Tachikawa fortune, I have good grades, good friends, and not to toot my own horn, but good looks too.' She flipped her hair over her shoulder and was a little annoyed when the wind blew it straight back. 'I have offers from some of the best universities, not to mention two houses, a company, and a shit-load of money in my inheritance. I have a promising future, loyalty and a big heart. _That's_ what I have to offer.'

Kaya stared at her in dismay and then turned to glare at Tai. 'Are you not going to say anything?'

'Kaya-'

Mimi laughed. 'He won't stand up for you, sweetheart. He doesn't know how to. He's just annoyed that I rejected his shitty apology the other night.'

'You're quiet.' Tai's voice was dangerously low and everyone watched as he shot a look at Sora, who paled.

'This is ridiculous,' she said quietly. 'Mimi came here to have a mature conversation with you, and you-'

'I'm not gonna get that, Sora. I don't know why I bothered.' Mimi shook her head. She had a disappointed expression on her face, and unbeknownst to everyone, it was that expression that secretly caused Tai's heart to drop.

'I don't know why you bothered either,' hissed Kaya. She smirked and spoke slowly. 'He doesn't want you, you got that? You. Are. Nothing. And he can do better. He _has _done better.'

'You really are pushing it, Clayton.'

'So what if I am?'

'I'm warning you; you do _not_ want to get on the wrong side of me.'

'I think I already did… when I took the man you're obviously so desperate for.'

_That did it._

Mimi launched herself at the smug blonde, throwing a punch that shocked even Sora and knocked Kaya to the ground. She jumped on top of her and attacked her so violently that everyone stepped back in surprise.

'Oh my god, Tai, will you _do_ something?' Sora yelled.

'Why me? Why can't you?' shouted Tai, hesitant to put himself in the middle of such a vicious fight.

'Because this is over you, you moron!'

'Moron? Come on, Sora, when did you ever see me as a moron?'

'Right now!' Sora squealed as Tai pulled her away from a stray fist; whether it was Mimi's or Kaya's, they weren't sure, but they both knew it had to stop. 'Do something!'

The two looked down to see that Kaya had climbed on top of Mimi and started pulling her hair violently.

'Bitch! Why couldn't you just stay away?' she shrieked. Mimi screamed and attempted to hit out, but her arms were pinned down by Kaya's knees, and she was horrified to realise that she was defenceless. A thought of surrender crossed her mind, and it angered her further. _No way am I giving in to this bitch, _she thought, and bringing up her leg, she used all her strength and flexibility to thump Kaya in the back with her knee. Kaya let out a cry of pain, and Mimi used the opportunity to take the upper hand, hitting and pulling and scratching with all she had. The rage inside her was not subsiding; instead it seemed to be growing with Kaya's retaliation. She had never been so angry in her life, and although she barely wanted to admit it to herself, deep inside she knew why. She loved Tai. She really loved him, and it was obvious to her that he didn't love her back. His new girlfriend's bitchy comments just happened to be the thing that pushed Mimi over the edge and now Kaya Clayton was paying for it.

Tai, Sora and TK stood and watched in horror at the fight unravelling in front of them. It was the only fight Mimi had ever been in, and as far as Sora was concerned, it was the worst she'd seen in real life. Mimi was a sweet girl, willing to be friends with anyone if they wanted it, and the fact that behind that lovely, caring girl was a fierce fighter shocked all three of them to their cores.

One person who was not standing back was Mia, Kaya's rather overweight friend, who had been shouting and cheering for Kaya when she seemed to be winning. But now it was clear to all of them that Kaya was being hurt by Mimi, who didn't seem like she would ever relent.

Kaya turned her head to look at her friend helplessly. 'Mia! Help me, idiot!' she hissed.

Mia didn't waste any time. She marched right over to Mimi and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her backwards with such force that she landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

Sora gasped. It was clear that the girl was going to join the fight and there was no doubt in any of their minds that Mimi would stand no chance against two girls. Realising that she would have to do something before Mimi got seriously hurt, she groaned loudly. 'Goddammit,' she moaned.

Mia held onto Mimi's hair until Sora grabbed her by her top and shoved her hard.

'Take your fat fucking hands off my friend, you lump of lard!'

'You wanna go too? Come on then, you stupid ginger bitch-'

Mia was cut off abruptly by the force of Sora's fist colliding with her jaw. With Mia on the ground, Sora stood over her and smirked.

'It's not ginger, it's cherry red.' She smiled at her own words before she was startled again by TK pushing her out of the way of Mimi and Kaya, who had restarted their fight. 'Jeez, these two just don't know when to quit.'

'Shouldn't we do something?' TK asked worriedly.

Sora opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Tai. 'No. Let them fight.'

'Are you… are you getting some kind of kick out of this?'

Tai shook his head and was about to explain that they needed to fight it out when he was distracted by a loud voice.

'HEY!' Matt strode over to the group and pushed past Tai, Sora and TK. He grabbed Mimi around the waist and pulled her away from Kaya.

'Let… me… go! Let me go! I'm gonna kill her, I'm gonna fucking kill her!' Mimi fought to get free, but Matt held her tight.

'Mimi, the only person who's going to suffer from this is you! You really want to get kicked out now?'

'JUST LET ME GO!' Mimi screamed, and she elbowed him in the stomach.

'Right, that's enough.' Matt lifted her up and put her over his shoulder. She kicked her legs frantically, furious that she had been picked up so unceremoniously. Kaya walked over to Mia, helping her off the ground and staring daggers at Sora. Matt put Mimi back down, and she sighed loudly in frustration, straightening her skirt and wiping a thin trail of blood from her nose. He placed a hand on her arm.

'Mimi-'

'Get off me.' She shoved his hand away from her. 'All of you, just back off and leave me alone!' She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Matt to voice his anger at his friends and brother for not stopping the fight.

* * *

Mimi didn't want to go home. She didn't want to have to explain her dishevelled appearance to her mother, who would no doubt be very disappointed in her 'perfect' daughter. So she walked and walked until she found herself at the park she and Matt went to after Izzy's party. She sat on the same swing the drunk blonde had fallen off and smiled a little at the memory. Her smile weakened as she thought about the fight she had just had, and the reasons for it. A realisation hit her and a small high pitched sound escaped her throat. _He doesn't love me, _she thought finally. _He doesn't want me, and he never will. _

She looked around the empty park as if to confirm that she was actually alone, and put her hands over her face. A loud sob escaped her lips and she burst into tears. And for the next hour, she cried and cried and cried.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is really just a filler chapter, something to take up the time between Mimi being sad and Mimi being happy... or at least, kind of happy. Love is never a smooth ride, after all ;) So not much will be happening until the next chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

* * *

CHAPTER SIX

It was day three of Mimi's absence from school and her friends were apparently beginning to worry about her. Her phone kept ringing, but she had ignored every call, instead asking her mother to tell Mrs Takenouchi to inform Sora that she was alive and well. Well… _alive, _at least. Mimi's mother had been horrified when she had walked through the door after school on Monday. She had gasped loudly at Mimi's appearance and demanded she tell her where she got her bruises. Mimi hadn't wanted her mom's sympathy, and so she had told her the truth – that she had got into a fight with another girl. Mrs Tachikawa wasn't having any of it, and called the doctor immediately, telling him that Mimi had clearly been beaten up by some bully and that she needed to be taken to hospital. Dr Kido had smiled sympathetically and informed her that Mimi didn't need hospital treatment, just an ice pack and some TLC. Still, her mother would not relent and in the end, Mimi was prescribed some very mild painkillers… purely to get the neurotic woman off his back. Dr Kido was well liked by Mimi; she had been friends with his son Joe for several years, and she was somewhat relieved when he pointed out that she seemed highly stressed and suggested she take a few days off school to rest.

And that's how she found herself sitting on the couch in nothing but a huge t-shirt and long pink socks, watching movie after movie and eating her way through her third tub of ice cream. Her hair was piled up on her head in an extremely scruffy bun, and she hadn't made any attempt to conceal the dark circles under her eyes. By anyone's standards, the usually flawless Mimi Tachikawa looked absolutely _terrible. _She was halfway through watching _500 Days of Summer_ when a loud knock at the door almost made her jump out of her skin.

'Go away,' she hissed quietly to herself as she shovelled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth in an unladylike fashion.

'Mimi?' Matt's loud voice sounded through the hallway. _Another knock._ 'Mimi, I know you're in there. Come on, just open up. Please?'

'No,' she shouted with her mouth full.

A girl's voice spoke from outside the house. 'Meems, we're skipping school for this, please talk to us.'

She shut her eyes as they started to water. _Please, _she mouthed silently. _Please leave me alone._

'Mimi, I'm not going anywhere until you open this damn door,' Matt said sternly.

Realising that they weren't going to leave, Mimi dragged herself up off the couch, ice cream in one hand, spoon in the other. She put the spoon in her mouth to open the door leading onto the porch where she came face to face with Matt and Sora. Their jaws dropped as they took in her exhausted, weak appearance and Mimi turned around, heading straight back for the couch. The two followed her inside, sharing a brief look of panic and disbelief, before sitting down on the coffee table in front of her. Matt picked up the remote and switched off the TV.

'Hey, I was watching that!'

'No you weren't. Clearly you're too tired to even think straight, let alone watch anything.'

'Whatever.' Mimi took another mouthful of ice cream and groaned when Matt took it away from her. 'Maaaattttt,' she groaned dramatically.

'Mimi. I hate to be the one to tell you this… but you're a mess.' She frowned at him as he kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his own. 'You need to sort yourself out now. You've done your moping; time to pull yourself together. Because you're going to end up making yourself ill.'

Sora nodded slowly. 'This isn't like you, Meems. The Mimi we know doesn't sit around feeling sorry for herself. We're so worried about you.'

'Don't be. I'm fine.' Mimi snatched her hands away from Matt's, only to have them grabbed again.

'Obviously, you're not,' he said firmly.

Sora straightened. 'Maybe you'll feel more comfortable talking to just one of us.' She bent down and put a hand on Mimi's arm. 'I'm gonna go and run you a nice hot bath, and you can talk with Matt. Please don't keep it all in, babe.'

Mimi said nothing and watched as Sora left to go upstairs. She turned her gaze to Matt and when she saw the concern and sympathy on his face, she couldn't hold it in. She burst into tears and threw herself at him, crying loudly into his front and gripping his sweater with both of her fists as he rocked her back and forth.

'It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright,' he repeated. His eyes widened for a split second, major déjà vu almost causing him to shiver. He had said those exact words and rocked her in the exact same way when Tai had left her in the first place. And now here he was, doing it all over again for the same reason. Well, almost the same.

'No it's not,' she sobbed. 'It's not gonna be alright.' She pulled away from him and looked him dead in the eye. 'I love him, Yama.' He stared at her. 'I really, really love him.'

Matt sighed in resignation. 'I know.' He leaned back on the couch and pulled Mimi to his chest, staring at the wall and wishing he could help her.

* * *

Mimi sat in the bath, absent-mindedly playing with the bubbles. She looked over at Sora, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the door scrolling on her phone.

'You didn't have to come in with me, you know.' Mimi's calm voice caused Sora to look up at her in surprise.

'I know. I just… I know I don't like to be alone when I'm sad.'

'I'm just having a bath.'

'I know.'

'I'm not going to drown myself.'

'I know.'

Mimi forced the tiniest smile and pulled the plug. 'Can you turn around?'

'Oh, yeah. Sure.'

Standing up and wrapping towels around herself and her wet hair, Mimi looked at Sora's back and sighed, walking right up to her and wrapping her arms around her.

'Urgh, Meems, you're all wet… What's this for?'

'For looking out for me.'

Sora closed her eyes as she felt her eyes begin to water. 'I just wanna make sure you're ok.' She blinked hard and turned around to grab Mimi's shoulders. 'Come on, get dressed, sort your hair out and put a bit of concealer under those dead eyes.'

'Oh, thanks,' said Mimi sarcastically. 'Wait… why?'

'We're going shopping.'

'Why?'

'You'll see. Now stop asking questions and get your ass in that wardrobe.'

* * *

An hour later, Mimi walked into the living room and gave a small smile to Matt, who stood up quickly.

'Much better,' he said with a grin.

Mimi would have been lying if she said she didn't feel a little better. She wasn't exactly dressed up; she wore a loose white sweater over black leggings and white hi-tops, with her dark blonde hair tied up high on her head and the dark circles under her eyes hidden with a dab of concealer. But despite her casual appearance, she was feeling brighter. Whether it was because she was able to cry to Matt, or because she no longer looked like a homeless person, she wasn't sure but she was glad her friends were there for her and the idea of retail therapy didn't sound too bad to her, either. She picked up her bag and forced a smile for her friends.

'Well? What are we waiting for? I have money to spend.'

'That's more like it,' said Matt, and he gave her a quick hug and ushered her towards the front door, closely followed by Sora.

The walk into town was rather uneventful, and Mimi found herself feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious. She felt as though eyes were on her, judging her, almost as if everyone in the world knew about her problems.

'I'm not so sure this was a good idea,' she said quietly, trying to avoid the stare of an attractive young man who looked to be in his early twenties by holding onto Matt's arm and practically dragging him to a slower pace.

'Why?' Sora looked at her in confusion.

'People are looking at me.' Mimi frowned. 'Maybe I should have put more makeup on.'

'Don't be ridiculous,' sniffed Sora. She glanced over to the man Mimi was obviously trying to hide from, and smiled. 'He's not looking because there's something wrong with you.'

'Then why _is _he looking?' she asked, shooting a quick, sharp glance at the man in question.

Matt laughed. 'He's checking you out, Meems.'

She stared at Matt in disbelief. 'What?'

'He's checking you out,' he repeated. 'Believe me, I know what desire looks like, and that poor soul's practically got a boner.' He laughed loudly, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Mimi.

'Be quiet!' she hissed, her cheeks turning pink. 'You are disgusting, Ishida.'

'Nope, just honest,' he replied casually.

'Just keep your voice down, will you?' She smiled sheepishly at the stranger and regretted it when he appeared to be approaching them. 'Shit… guys, he's coming over, he's coming over, he's coming over.'

Sora giggled. 'Relax, Meems. He's pretty cute.'

Mimi glared at her. 'I don't care if he looks like Bradley frickin' Cooper! I'm not interested! Oh god, what am I going to say?'

'Chill! Don't freak out about it, jeez.'

'You're right.' Mimi sighed. 'Maybe he was looking at you.'

Sora smirked. 'Don't pass this onto me.'

'Oh god, Maaaattttt! Help!' She masked her nerves by smiling at the man as she hissed her words through gritted teeth.

'For crying out loud, Meems.' He laughed. 'Relax, I got this.'

'What?'

'Hi.' The man came to a halt in front of the three friends and held out his hand to Mimi. 'I'm Jay.' He was tall with dark hair, and Mimi would have been distracted by his resemblance to Tai had it not been for the green eyes and strong British accent.

Mimi took his hand awkwardly and gave it a small shake. 'I'm… Lacey.'

Matt smirked and shook his head.

'Lacey, huh? That's pretty,' the man said with a smile. 'Like you.' Mimi blushed at his words. 'I know this is a bit forward, but do you fancy going out sometime?'

Mimi stood still, suddenly struggling to speak as Sora stared at her with an expression that read: _get in there you minx!_ Matt continued to smirk until he saw the trouble Mimi was having trying to find her voice. He shook his head once more and came up with a quick diversion.

He moved closer to her and took a hand out of his pocket, placing an arm over her shoulders. 'Sorry dude, she's with me.'

Jay looked at Matt, who was a few inches taller than himself and nodded. 'My bad. Sorry to have bothered ya.'

Mimi felt so awful she could do nothing but smile sheepishly at him as he turned to leave, biting her lip so hard she thought it might bleed. When she was sure he was out of earshot, she flicked Matt on the arm.

'Ow!'

'What did you do that for?'

'Mimi, you could barely speak.'

Sora laughed. 'He's right. Your face, though! Oh god, it was so funny!'

'It is _not _funny,' Mimi hissed.

'What were you thinking?' her friend asked through her giggles. 'He was _hot!_'

'Then you have him!' Mimi's frown turned into a small smile. 'I don't know… I don't want anyone right now.'

_Except Tai,_ she thought sadly, and she could tell that her friends were thinking the same thing, but rather than point it out, they both took her arms and continued their walk to town, talking about anything and everything; exams, universities, the girl in their year who just dropped out because she – in Sora's own words – 'got knocked up by her friend's brother.' Their conversations were merely intended as a distraction to Mimi, and they were thoroughly pleased to note that it seemed to be working. Mimi had a smile on her face as they approached the mall and both Matt and Sora could see a glimpse of the Mimi they knew and loved peeping through.

Matt groaned loudly as Sora suddenly steered them both towards Sasha's, a huge store practically crammed with cosmetics and perfumes.

'No, no, no, I need clothes,' said Mimi.

'You have enough clothes to dress the entire population of Japan, Meems,' she said brightly.

'But I don't need makeup,' she moaned.

'No,' Sora said. 'You need dye.'

Matt and Mimi stopped and turned to Sora, staring at her in confusion.

'Excuse me?'

Matt put his hands up. 'If we're talking hair dye, don't even think about it. Mimi's hair's nice as it is.'

Mimi smiled. 'Thank you, Matt.'

'Besides, if she wanted anything doing to it, she'd go to a salon or something, right?'

Mimi nodded.

'You guys are such pussies,' laughed Sora. 'Have either of you forgotten that I work in my cousin's salon?'

'Yeah, for _one _day every week!' Matt said exasperatedly.

'I've dyed lots of people's hair, and I happen to think I'm pretty good,' she replied smugly. She looked at Mimi. 'Meems, if there's one thing I think will cheer you up, it's a makeover. A new cut and colour. It'll do you good,' she said. 'And I promise you'll love it.'

Matt looked at Mimi, who looked to be contemplating the idea. _Maybe change will be good for her, _he thought. 'It's your choice, Mimi,' he said. 'As long as you trust this psycho to take to your hair with a pair of scissors.'

'Hey!'

'I'm kidding!'

The bickering friends turned to look at Mimi, who suddenly smiled. 'Ok.'

'Ok?' Sora clasped her hands together in excitement.

'Ok.'

'Great! By the way, I've booked you in to have your nails done at two fifteen.'

'You're amazing,' said Mimi. She smiled at Sora. 'Why are you doing this?'

'Just… think my friend deserves to be treated.'

Mimi squealed, something that made Matt smile, and dragged both of them into the store eagerly.

When Sora was sure Mimi wasn't looking, her smile dropped. _Or maybe it's my guilty conscience,_ she thought sadly.

* * *

**Sooo... If you didn't know what was happening before reading this chapter, I'm sure you do now :P**

**On another note... I desperately need a Matt in my life. I always loved the idea of Mimi and Matt being friends, and I especially love the idea of him appearing quite cool and carefree to others but being warm and sweet to his friends. ****So yeah.. it's my birthday on July 4th, which is next Friday... so if I could have a Matt Ishida, that would be great, thanks ;)**

**Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I was outside the supermarket waiting for my friend the other day, thinking about this story and it got me thinking... If I could make it into a movie, who would I cast as the actors? As adults obviously, because there aren't many teen actors I like. And I'm not kidding, I spent like twenty minutes thinking about it.**

**I'd definitely have an Amanda Seyfried type to play Mimi, because she's pretty and she does both ditzy and sophisticated very well.**

**I think a younger, but blonde (obviously) Bradley Cooper would be good for Matt, purely because of his charm and 'cool' vibe.**

**Jenna Coleman would fit the role of Kari, I think. Maybe it's because she's pretty with brown hair and eyes, or maybe it's because I'm a big Clara Oswald/Doctor Who fan lol! :)**

**I also thought about my own character, mega-bitch Kaya ;) And I think a blonde Nina Dorev would fit her, because although I like Nina, she seems to have a certain... smug look about her.**

**Alex Pettyfer for TK... Because he's cute and blonde.**

**Maybe Alyson Hannigan as Sora...**

**Andrew Garfield as Izzy because he just has that cute nerdy look about him.**

**Justin Bartha as Joe.**

**I spent the longest time thinking about Tai, and his perfect actor, and it was absolutely _hopeless. _At first I liked the idea of Sebastian Stan, but I dunno... It just didn't quite fit.**

**What about you? If you could cast the Digidestined as adults, who would you choose?**

**Just something to think about ;)**

**Thank you for my lovely reviews, you're all awesome and I love you :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**HAPPY ODAIBA MEMORIAL DAY! **

**Today, August 1, 2014, marks _fifteen_ years since the Digidestined first arrived in the Digital World and my gosh, I am feeling hella nostalgic. I've watched countless Digimon episodes today, and I know it's kinda sad, but I almost feel like I could tear up. That's my childhood right there, yo. Those kids inspired me to be brave and loyal. They entertained me when I switched on my TV after school, and I'm not even exaggerating... they taught me what it is to be a true friend. It will forever be my favourite childhood memory.**

**I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a MONTH, I've been concentrating mostly on my Yakari fic, but to mark the occasion I worked on this chapter today, along with the next chapter of _Every Good Girl Needs A Bad Boy_. Aaaaand, because it's a special day, I decided that we'll end this chapter on a happy note, so I hope you enjoy that :) Chapter eight will be under construction as of tomorrow morning, so stay tuned :)**

******Thank you so so much for your reviews and messages, it means so much to me, you make me feel all warm and fuzzy :)**

**That's it from me for now, but til next time... One love ;)**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Mimi had taken the rest of the week off school, with Matt and Sora dropping by to check on her and bring her schoolwork every day when their classes were over. They didn't really need to though; she was feeling a lot brighter, thanks to her makeover – courtesy of Sora – and the decision she had made after a lot of thinking. She was going to America to take up acting, something she had always wanted to do, but lacked the motivation. Now that her ties with a certain messy haired young man had been cut, and her two best friends had encouraged and expressed their excitement for her, there was nothing to stop her. The decision was made, and in Mimi's eyes, there was no going back. This was going to be her fresh start, her new life. And she had never felt more optimistic about her future.

And that's why Mimi strutted down the school corridor as if it was a catwalk today, with her hair swishing over her shoulders, her heels clicking dramatically on the floor, and her best friend on her arm. She was silently thanking a higher deity that it was a non-uniform day, otherwise her entrance would just not have been as fabulous. She smiled as she noticed other students turn to watch her and whisper to their friends.

'Oh my god, guys, check Mimi out!'

'Her hair!'

'Who knew that colour would suit her?'

'I know, right?'

'Looking good, Ishida!'

Matt cringed at some of the less-than-discreet comments aimed at him, but gave in to a smirk when he saw how Mimi was lapping up the attention. _This girl was born to be in the limelight, _he thought to himself with a smile. They were very different in that sense. He and Mimi were both extremely popular with the opposite sex and she absolutely thrived off the attention, whether it was that of male admiration or female envy. Matt however, did not welcome the stares, the comments or the gossip. He was especially irritated by girls who would approach him and openly flirt with him in an outrageous style. It was desperate, he thought, and desperate girls were only good for one thing. That was another thing that set him apart from Mimi; she was very private and her own attentions and affections were saved only for the people who deserved them. She had slept with only one person, the person she had given her heart to and hoped to be with forever, and everybody regarded that person as some kind of god, because he seemed to be the only man Mimi hadn't rejected. She was, in her friends' minds, one of the classiest girls they'd met. Matt was a different story altogether. Being the lead singer and bassist in his band, The Teenage Wolves, he attracted copious amounts of female attention, and as a result had somehow managed to sleep his way through most of the female population of his year. Despite his reputation as a player however, Matt sometimes took a genuine interest in dating. He only dated nice, quiet, respectable girls, girls who were hard to read and easy to trust. They were the only ones worth his attention, he had decided, and when he was asked why he didn't treat all of his admirers in the same way, he would reply with:

'If they're throwing themselves at me so desperately, they're not giving themselves any respect. Why should I give them mine?'

Very few girls ever saw the caring side of Matt, which was usually reserved only for his friends, but there was no doubt about it; Yamato Ishida knew how to treat the girls he cared about. To those who deserved it, he was a loyal, trustworthy, warm and generous young man. To those who threw themselves at him purely for popularity, he was cold. Those girls were good for one thing only, and once they had given it to him, they were yesterday's news. Matt and Mimi were an odd combination, complete opposites in ways, but they were tight.

The chirpy voices of two girls walking behind them caught Matt's ear as he and Mimi passed the gossiping students and he strained to listen.

'Did you hear about Tai?'

'Girl, everyone heard about Tai.'

'Looks like Mimi's dealing with it well.'

'They're probably back together. I'd be smiling if I had Tai Kamiya, too.'

'No, didn't you hear? There was a huge fight and he basically told her to fuck off.'

'You're kidding me?'

'I kid you not.'

Matt frowned. Mimi liked attention. _But she doesn't need to hear that, _he thought anxiously.

Mimi flung open the door of her locker and looked in the little mirror she had glued inside. Her eyes widened a little at her still-unfamiliar appearance, but a moment later she smiled slightly, ruffling her newly-dyed hair. Sora had cut layers into it and coloured it to a beautiful warm brown shade, accentuating her big eyes. Surprisingly, the shade and straight style suited Mimi better than her natural honey-blonde waves, and she had already decided that she loved it and that she was sure she was a natural brunette at heart.

'Sora's not coming in today,' said Matt as he leaned with his back against his locker, biting his nails.

Mimi frowned. _Matt never bit his nails._ 'I know. Something about a college interview, right?'

'Right.'

'I hope she gets in. She works so hard, she deserves it.'

'Yeah.'

She closed her locker and looked at Matt. 'Yama? You ok?'

'Yeah, fine. Listen Meems, I gotta go to class. See you at lunch?'

'Uh, yeah. Sure.'

Matt gave her a quick squeeze and she watched him as he left, wondering what was on his mind.

* * *

The morning passed fairly quickly, and Mimi soon found herself sitting under a tree picking at a small tub of pasta, but not really eating. Unable to bear the curiosity any longer, she pulled out her phone and tapped out a message.

_Where r you? I need to talk to you x_

She didn't go unanswered for long; less than a single minute later, her phone beeped.

_Behind u, princess x_

Mimi smirked and turned to see Matt walking towards her coolly, his backpack resting over one shoulder and his hand in his pocket. He approached her and sat next to her, leaning against the tree and stretching his legs out.

'What you wanna talk about?' he asked casually.

'This morning.'

'What about it?'

'You were acting weird.' Mimi looked him in the eye and he shifted uncomfortably.

'Oh yeah. That.'

'Gonna tell me what's going on?'

'Yeah. Listen, Meems. I didn't want you to find out, but everyone's talking about it so I'd rather you hear it from me.'

Mimi froze. 'Oh god,' she said quietly. 'What is it?'

Mat put his hand on Mimi's. 'First I need to tell you why I didn't tell you before...'

'Well? Go on, then.'

'It's just that you were hurting so badly, and you're just starting to feel a little better, and I don't want that to be fucked up, I don't want to see you like that again, and-'

'-Alright, I get it. I'm not gonna blame you for not telling me sooner. Just tell me now.'

Matt looked at her for a moment with a worried expression and took a breath. 'Tai broke up with Kaya.'

Mimi scoffed. 'That's nice,' she said dismissively. She turned her attention back to her pasta until she realised that Matt hadn't taken his eyes off her. She looked back at him. 'What?'

'Mimi-'

'-Why are you acting like I should be angry or upset? As far as I'm concerned, it's great. The bitch who disrespected me got her ass dumped and the man who broke my heart is alone. Karma, huh?'

'It was because of you.'

Mimi fell silent, staring at her friend as though she was expecting him to tell her he was joking, but he didn't. 'What are you talking about?' she asked after what seemed like an age.

'Tai left Kaya because of what she said to you.'

'What? He was a dick to me, too.'

'He was angry because Kari was mad at him. He feels terrible about what happened.'

'Why would he feel bad?'

Matt stared at Mimi for a moment, gathering the courage to give her the words that would undoubtedly bring back the confusion and upset for her. 'Because he still loves you.'

More silence.

'You're lying.'

'Come off it, Meems. You really think I'd lie about this?'

'How would you even know?'

'He told Kaya, and Kaya – being the loud-mouthed bitch she is – told all of her friends. Trying to get the sympathy vote, I guess. I heard and assumed she was just trying to cause trouble so I asked Tai. Mimi, he didn't even try to deny it.'

'When was this?'

'The day after the... fight. I hoped you wouldn't find out because it would just confuse you, but when we came in this morning I heard someone whispering about it and I realised that it would get back to you anyway.'

'Oh.' Mimi looked down at her food, then back up at Matt with a cheerful smile. 'Ok.'

'Ok?' Matt raised an eyebrow at her. 'That's it?'

'Yes, Matt. That's it.' She sighed. 'He fucked up. We're not going to happen again, I get that. Now I can get on with my life without anything to stand in my way. I love him, I really do, but there's just too much water under the bridge and besides, I spent most of last week practically planning my entire life out. I can't go back now.' She winked at him. 'I'm gonna be famous.'

Matt smiled. 'Hell yeah you are.'

'Besides,' she continued. 'I want him. But I don't need him, right? I have you.' She poked Matt's arm. 'And Sora. And I like it that way.' Mimi grinned and shovelled a forkful of pasta into her mouth - much to the amusement of Matt – and leaned on him, placing her head on his shoulder. 'It's like you told me,' she said when she'd swallowed her food. 'It's gonna be alright.'

* * *

The clock read five-thirty, but Mimi felt like she was ready for bed. Dance practice had thoroughly worn her out, and she lazily perched on a bench in the changing room as the other girls left. She didn't really have the motivation to move; the discovery of Tai's break up and the reason for it had been swimming in her head since Matt had told her, and although she tried to convince him (and herself) that it didn't matter anymore, there was a small part of her that was having a hard time believing it. Deciding that she needed to move her ass if she was to be home in time for dinner, she dragged herself up and without changing out of her cheerleading uniform, headed to the main building to retrieve her school bag from her locker. The corridors were empty, and Mimi was suddenly highly conscious of the sound of the steps she took echoing through the walls. She was thinking about how big and slightly creepy the building was when it was virtually empty when she rounded a corner and walked right into someone. She let out a shriek as she toppled backwards, only to be grabbed by a strong hand and pulled up before she hit the floor.

'Oh lord,' she said breathlessly, straightening her uniform. 'I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention.'

'It's fine, neither was I.' The familiar voice caused Mimi to look up in shock.

'Tai.'

'You alright?'

Mimi nodded, tightening her ponytail and darting her gaze around the corridor, desperate to look at anything but him. 'What are you still doing here?' she asked.

'Had some coursework that needed to be done. Turns out it's actually quite important to your grade. Who'd have guessed?'

His tone made Mimi look at him in order to be sure that he was actually joking. His expression gave nothing away, and she still wasn't sure.

'You're kidding, right?'

Tai laughed. 'Of course I'm kidding. Jesus, Meems, you really think I'm that stupid?'

'Am I obliged to answer that?'

'Pfft. Rude.'

Mimi couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her lips and she looked away hastily. 'I, uh… I heard about you and Kaya. I'm sorry.'

Tai smirked. 'No you're not,' he said casually.

Mimi looked at him and smirked back. 'No I'm not,' she agreed.

'About Kari… I'm sorry I took it out on you. I shouldn't have blamed you for shit I did. I was just mad because she turned on me. We both know I'm a monumental fuck up.'

Mimi whistled long and slow. 'Wow,' she said. 'Big words for you.'

'Seriously, what's with the bashing?'

Mimi giggled. 'I've had it for months from you, get over it.' Her smile dropped as she remembered the things he'd said to her.

'I'm sorry.'

'Yeah, well.' She shrugged. 'Can't change the past, can we?'

Tai sighed quietly. 'No,' he said. 'We can't.'

She didn't know if it was the emptiness of the corridor or the sudden change of atmosphere between them, but Mimi felt a wave curiosity wash over her. She had to know.

'Would you?'

'Would I what?'

'Would you change what happened if you could?'

Tai scoffed sarcastically. 'Are you kidding? Of course I would. I'd do anything to be able to go back and undo the shit I did.' He stopped short and shut his eyes while pursing his lips, clearly annoyed that he'd let that admission slip out. Mimi stared at him in shock. 'I'm sorry,' he said.

'Stop saying that,' Mimi replied, a little too snappily. 'It's over now, there's nothing we can do and saying sorry isn't going to change a thing. We just have to leave the past in the past, we have no choice.'

'I know.'

Mimi began to walk slowly and Tai kept a slow pace by her side. 'I don't even know what you saw in that girl,' she said huffily. 'Honestly, I've never met someone so bitchy towards me. Except you, obviously,' she added, only half-joking.

'She was only standing up for me.'

Mimi stopped suddenly and looked at him in disbelief. 'Standing up for you? Since when did you need standing up for? And why are you defending her?'

'Because if I remember rightly, you said some pretty trashy shit to her, too.'

'She started it!' Mimi curled her fists defensively.

'I don't care!'

'Oh my god!' Mimi blurted. 'You are so frustrating! How do you manage it? How can you play nicey-nicey and apologise and whatever, and then switch back to being a dick?'

'How am I being a dick right now?'

'You… You…' Mimi racked her brain frantically, but could think of nothing. He was right. She _had _said horrible things to Kaya, even if it was only in retaliation. 'Alright, maybe not _right _now. But you have been.'

'What happened to leaving the past in the past?'

'It's kinda difficult to forget being heckled every day for months, Tai.'

'What's heckled?'

Mimi sighed in frustration. 'Never mind. I have to go.' She turned to leave and felt a hand close on her arm.

'No, Mimi.'

She frowned. 'Let me go.' Tai didn't move. 'Tai… what are you doing?'

Tai took a deep breath as though he was about to pour his heart out to her.

'I know you don't want me to say that I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I really am. I can't even describe how sorry I am, and nothing I ever do will be enough to prove it to you, I know that. But if I could change everything, Meems, I swear I would, I'd go right back to the beginning and I'd treat you like a fucking princess, because that's what you deserve-'

'You did. For a while.'

'I know. But I fucked up, I know I did. And I spend every damn night lying in the fucking bed I shared with you before knowing that you'll never be in it again, and it fucking kills me, Mimi!'

'Tai-'

'-The truth is, I treat you like crap because I'm bitter. Bitter because I lost the best thing that has, and _will_ ever happen to me and I have no one to blame but myself. I walk around like I own the place, like jack shit bothers me and like my ego might not fit through the door, but in reality I _hate _myself. I absolutely fucking despise myself because of what I did and how I treated you and nothing I ever say or do will ever make me hate myself any less.'

'Tai.' Mimi's breathing had become heavy as her back was now pressed against the wall, and she stared at his chest. He had moved nearer to her, cornered her, and now she could feel his warmth on her skin. 'What are you trying to-'

Mimi was cut off, however, by the shock that then coursed through her body. She was pushed harder against the wall as Tai pressed his lips to hers roughly, months of built-up frustration and unspoken words pouring out through his kiss, his hands firmly on her arms. Mimi froze for a moment before she responded. She wanted to push him away, tell him that it was too late, tell him to stop confusing her. But her body wouldn't allow it. She pulled her arms free from his grip and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him even closer to her, kissing him hard, almost as if he would disappear if she let go. A small moan escaped her lips as Tai placed one hand on her waist and the other on her thigh. She was thankful that her cheerleading skirt was fairly short, because the moment just wouldn't have been as intense had she been wearing her regulation knee length green skirt. He kissed her neck roughly and she placed a hand on his own, moving it slightly, giving him permission to move further up, and he was about to oblige when-

'Mr Kamiya! Miss Tachikawa!' The pair sprang apart, attempting to compose themselves and feeling their cheeks redden at the reality of being caught. 'That is _no_ way to behave on school premises!'

Mimi linked her fingers innocently behind her back. 'I know, Miss. We're sorry.'

'If I see anything like that again, there will be serious repercussions, do you understand?'

Tai and Mimi bent their heads to hide their smirks, pretending to be ashamed. 'Yes Miss,' they said in unison.

'Good. Now go on, get home.'

'Yes Miss.'

They turned abruptly and continued walking down the corridor. Mimi retrieved her bag from her locker, and once they were sure they were out of earshot, Tai tapped her on the shoulder.

'Meems?'

'Hmm?'

'What's repercussions?'

Mimi laughed and flicked his arm, the sadness and anger of the last few days released in the passionate moment they had shared, and her words to Matt earlier that day all but forgotten. She suddenly realised that she was disappointed that it had stopped, and she awkwardly walked alongside Tai, at a loss of what to say. He looked at her as if reading her mind and smirked.

'My place… the parents are out… you in?' he asked casually.

Mimi plastered an innocent look on her face and smiled sweetly at him. 'Whatever for?' she asked.

Tai didn't answer. He didn't need to. Instead he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, planting another kiss on her lips. Mimi pulled away slowly and flashed him a mischievous smile.

'I'm in.'


	8. Chapter 8

Guys... I'm nervous about this chapter, so please be nice lol :P This one's a little different, part of it is in Tai's point of view, so we can see a bit further into his motives for being a monumental wanker ;)

For anyone reading Every Good Girl Needs A Bad Boy, I'm almost finished with the next chapter, so please bear with me on that :)

Also, for anyone who might be interested, I've started working on a Mimato one-shot... it's kinda lemon-y, and I'm a little scared about it, but I was trailing through my laptop the other day and realised that I don't actually have any Mimato fics - and it depressed me a little. So yeah, that's currently in progress.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, your lovely comments and messages make me feel appreciated, and in turn, I appreciate you for taking the time to read and review my mostly nonsensical stories :P

One luuuurve ;)

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_The park was empty, with the exception of a young man sitting alone on a bench, occasionally taking out his phone and looking at the time. He'd been waiting for almost an hour, but he would not move, he would not give up hope. A low rumble growled above him and he glanced up at the sky and the thick grey clouds that filled it, pulling up the hood of his navy blue sweater and putting his hands in the front pocket in anticipation of the rain that was threatening to fall heavily at any moment. His mind was telling him to go home before he got soaked and before he had his dreams shattered, but he was a determined young man, always had been, and his courage always won. It coursed through his veins, battling with his nerves, and attempted to silence the dread in his heart. Courage was who he was. Without it he was nothing._

_It was at precisely three o' clock that the clouds fulfilled their promise of rain, and the young man folded his arms, wrapping them around himself. He wouldn't go home. He wouldn't give up. Not until he had his answer. The rain fell fast and hard, soaking his sweater and plastering the front of his thick dark hair to his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to something he didn't believe in that he wouldn't be left without the thing he wanted more than anything. He couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't stand the thought of not having the thing he dreamed of every night. He didn't want to feel empty anymore._

_A rustling sound caught his attention, and he slowly opened his eyes, staring up into the face of his answered prayers. An angel stood before him, a little more dishevelled than he had imagined, but an angel nonetheless. Her wet blonde hair lay thick and heavy against her, sticking to her cheeks and falling over her shoulders, fat droplets of water dripping onto her pink sweater. Her mascara was a little smudged and she shivered in the cold breeze, but a shy smile graced her soft lips, and the man couldn't help but notice just how… perfect she looked. A few moments had passed when he realised that he had been so lost in her beauty that he hadn't yet said anything. He opened his mouth and strained to find his voice, still hypnotised by her warm smile._

'_You… you came,' he said quietly, using up all the willpower he had to refrain his teeth from chattering._

'_I did,' she said in almost a whisper. 'I'm sorry I'm so late. I'll admit that I had some reservations about meeting you. It seems I lack the courage you so blatantly possess.'_

'_You'd be surprised,' he replied reluctantly. He wasn't a man to show weakness, much less nervousness, but he felt comfortable admitting his apprehension to her. She made it easy for him to be himself with her. He took a deep breath. 'Mimi-'_

'_-No, Tai,' she interrupted. 'Me first.'_

_He held his breath, suddenly terrified that she was about to confirm his worst fears, afraid that she was preparing to break his heart. 'Ok.'_

'_I'm sorry. About the way I acted when you told me… you know. I was scared, and a little freaked out, but most of all… I was shocked. It seemed so sudden, and it was only when I'd had time to think about it that I realised that it wasn't so sudden at all. Things have been different between us for a while, and we both should have seen this coming.'_

'_You thought about what I said?'_

_She smiled. 'I haven't been able to stop thinking about it,' she admitted._

'_And?' _

_Tai's breath hitched as she stepped closer to him, gently placing a hand on his face. He bent his head as she tilted hers back slightly, feeling his heart pounding violently in his chest as she closed the gap between them. It was the softest, sweetest kiss he had experienced in his seventeen years, and he relaxed into it, placing a hand on her wet hair and wrapping his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Fireworks exploded in his mind and he closed his eyes, not wanting to let her go, needing her with every fibre of his being. She pulled away slowly, gently breaking the kiss, and looked into his brown eyes with a smile._

'_And I love you too,' she whispered._

_It was then, as he held her close to him in the pouring rain, sharing his warmth with her, that he realised something. He never wanted to live without her._

* * *

Tai stared down at the girl lying on his chest, content and satisfied. Those feelings were soon overshadowed though, by the immense guilt that suddenly flooded his mind as he watched her breathe slowly in her light sleep. She was here. She was in his bed and his life once again, even after everything he had put her through. He'd hurt her, broken her heart, made her cry. And even though she hadn't expressed any kind of forgiveness, she had found it in herself to come home with him, to give him what he so desperately wanted to give her. The truth was, his desire to take her was the thing that had motivated him to make his move on her. But from the moment she agreed to go home with him, his mind-set changed. He didn't need to be satisfied by her. He just needed to give her what _she _wanted. And for the last few months, he had done nothing but give her everything she _didn't _want. During those months, he'd made her life miserable. In truth, he hadn't actually realised just how much of an effect he was having on her until Matt had cornered him one day and practically forced the truth down his throat. He didn't care, though. To his belief, she had been unfaithful to him, broken _his _heart, and he hated her for it. Loved her, but hated her. And looking at the picture of innocence that lay on his chest now, he struggled to comprehend how he'd ever believed she was capable of something so awful. Of course she wasn't. But he was.

It was a mistake he now wished he'd never made. An action driven by anger and hurt, and no matter how much he regretted it, it had already happened. He could never take it back. He had treated her poorly, he knew that, and as he kissed her head and stroked her long newly-dark hair, he made her a silent promise. For as long as he lived, he would _never_ hurt her again. Whether she wanted to be with him or not.

She stirred, lifting her head to look at him and he smiled. 'Hey you,' he said.

'Hey.' She gave him a small smile and settled back onto him, nuzzling into his neck. 'What you thinking about?'

Tai looked at the ceiling. 'The first time you kissed me.'

He felt Mimi smile against his skin. 'Hmm. Bet you weren't expecting that, huh.'

'Nope. I was preparing to have my heart broken,' he admitted.

'I'm sorry I made you worry.'

'Don't be. It was worth it. Besides, I've done so much worse to you.' He watched as she looked up at him again, and he could have sworn he saw the memories of the way he had treated her swimming in her eyes. An odd feeling overtook him; he felt a lump in his throat as he bent to kiss her forehead and stroked her cheek with his thumb. 'I'm so sorry,' he said. And he meant it. With all his heart and soul, he meant it.

* * *

She knew he meant it. Of course, she was still angry, still hurt by the way he had treated her, and until now a small part of her had wondered where his change of heart had come from. But as she looked into his dark eyes she felt as though she was staring deep into his soul, and she realised something. There _was_ no change of heart. It was simply his attitude towards his feelings that had changed. She was still a little wary of his intentions, as was to be expected, but for a moment she saw a glimpse of the old Tai; the strong, loyal, warm young man who had stolen her heart, and she revelled in the memory of the way they used to be. She couldn't possibly allow herself to be hurt by him anymore; this was only temporary, after all - there was no way they could keep a relationship while she was thousands of miles away – _shit. She hadn't told him._ What if he was expecting more? She'd have liked more too, but it just wasn't an option anymore; she had made her decision and she wasn't going to turn her back on her dream.

'What… what is this?' she asked warily.

'What do you mean?'

'This.' Mimi waved her hand over the two of them. 'What is this?'

Tai kissed her head once more. _She loved it when he did that. _'It's anything you want it to be, Meems.'

She stiffened. 'What do _you _want it to be?'

There was a slight pause. 'I _want _it to be like nothing ever changed. Like we used to be. But I know that's going to take time, if it's even possible.'

_Oh god. _'I'm leaving,' she blurted.

Tai snorted. 'Scared you off already, have I?' he laughed.

'No, I mean I'm _leaving. _I'm going to America after I graduate.'

She felt Tai freeze beneath her. 'America?' he asked quietly. 'But that's like… a whole world away.'

Mimi lifted herself up and planted a soft kiss on Tai's lips. 'I have to,' she whispered. 'It's my chance to start again. It's my _dream._' There was a short silence as she sensed Tai processing the information she had given him, but eventually he relaxed, brushing a thumb across her cheek.

'Then who am I to stand in the way of your dream?' His voice was filled with sadness, Mimi noticed, and she had to blink a few times to stop her eyes from welling up. 'How long?' he asked.

'A year,' she replied. 'And then I get to decide whether I'll continue my studies there.'

'Will you?'

'Maybe. Maybe not. My dad left me a lot in my inheritance, and my grandfather is taking care of it for now. But he's an old man. I know it won't be long before the responsibilities get too much for him, and it won't be fair for me to expect him to handle all of it.'

'You'll still act?'

Mimi smiled. _He'd remembered_. 'If I can juggle it all. Running a business will be hard work. But it's what I want to do. All my life, I've wanted to act.'

'I know,' he replied quietly. 'Remember when we were kids, you'd make us all dress up and put on plays for our parents?'

Mimi laughed. 'And Ishida would always be in a dress because I knew it bothered him.' She blushed. 'I must have been born to act.'

'Certainly looks that way.' Tai looked at her, a million words he wanted to say but didn't have the time. 'I missed you.'

'You had a funny way of showing it.' Mimi didn't mean her reply to sound so snarky, but she couldn't help it. She knew he thought she'd been unfaithful, and she knew he'd been angry, but never in a million years would she have believed that during the whole time he'd been heckling her, he'd been missing her. He'd been too cold. 'Why now? What's with the change of attitude?'

Tai took a deep breath. 'I was a dick because I thought you'd cheated on me. And then when Matt told me it was bullshit I was so angry at myself that I couldn't handle it. I felt like a complete idiot, Meems. I'd done and said all that shit when none of it was true and I'll admit that the reason I didn't stop then was mostly because I didn't want anyone to know how terrible I felt. I don't show weakness, Mimi, you know that. I'm just sorry I couldn't show it to you. I thought I was being brave when in reality, I couldn't have been any weaker. You were right. I am a coward. And nothing I can possibly say will ever make you understand just how sorry I am.'

Mimi cocked her head to the side, curiosity taking over her for the first time. 'Can we talk about it?'

He shrugged. 'Why? It's in the past, I'd rather not bring it all back up.'

'But I would.'

Tai gave her a defeated look and she knew that she'd won. 'Oh god, Mimi.'

'Why did you think I'd cheated on you?'

'Someone told me.'

'Who?' Mimi let out a small, sarcastic laugh. 'Of course. The tramp you cheated on me with. And you believed her?'

'I didn't think she'd lie to me.'

'So… some bitch who clearly so desperately wants a ride on you tells you that your girlfriend cheated on you… and you believe her. Makes sense.'

'I know how stupid it sounds now. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, Mimi.'

Tai placed a hand on the side of her face, bringing her forehead to his and pressing his lips on hers lightly, feeling her lean into him. They remained in the ecstasy of the same kiss for several moments, before Mimi tilted her head back, allowing him access to her neck and she moaned quietly as he left a soft trail of kisses down towards her collarbone. She wrapped her arms around his neck and turned over, lying on her back and giving him permission to lean over her. He placed his hands on her hips, revelling in the feel of her soft skin, and brushed his lips over her chest, slowly moving down over her stomach as she arched her back to meet him and closed her eyes in delight. Her hand was in his hair, encouraging him, telling him what she wanted, and he was more than happy to oblige, but there was something in the back of her mind, an ache telling her that something was missing.

'Stop.'

Tai looked up at her, removing her hand from his hair and kissing it. 'What's the matter?'

'Do you love me?'

Her voice was no more than a whisper, and she held her breath as he frowned a little, obviously taken aback by her question. 'Mimi, I-'

'-The truth, Tai. Please.'

He sighed. 'Yes. I do. I always have, I always will.' He took her hands in his and gave her a reassuring smile. 'I love you.'

'Then tell me.'

'Tell you what?'

'Tell me who she was.'

His eyes widened a little and he sighed deeply. 'Jesus, Meems.'

Mimi felt her curiosity slowly turning into frustration, and deep down she knew she would never be able to move on unless he told her. 'I need to know, Tai. I will believe absolutely nothing you've told me until you've been completely honest with me. Who is she?'

'Mimi-'

'-Tell me!'

There was a silence as Tai readied himself for the reaction he'd hoped he'd never have to see. Mimi's breathing quickened as she grew nervous at his fearful expression, and her eyes pleaded with him to put her out of her misery. He saw this and placed a hand lightly over his mouth and closed his eyes.

'Sora.'

And at that moment, Mimi could have sworn she heard her heart break.

* * *

**Oh, Tai. Just as you were winning me over. Tut.**


	9. ATTENTION READERS

**Hey guys!**

**THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER**,** more of an Author's Note, just to let you know what's happening right now.**

I started this fic with the intention of having Tai and Mimi go their separate ways in the end and leaving it open for a sequel set a few years later, when the two of them grew up a little.

I had a very clear plot set out for them, but as it happens, work and a busy home life have left me a little confused about where this story is actually going. On top of that, I seem to be experiencing a ridiculously creative burst, and have fallen into the trap of writing multiple fics at the same time, and so keeping up with this story is proving to be increasingly difficult for me. This has resulted in the plot of this story dissolving into near nothing-ness. It's gradually making less and less sense, and I feel that it's time to move on from it and work on something new and with a slightly happier theme to it.

As some of you may already know (if you've read _If You Love Someone_, in which Bipolar Disorder plays a part), I suffer from the disorder myself and at present I am finding it more difficult to control my mania than usual. As a result, my mind is swimming with thoughts and ideas that I can't seem to keep a hold of, and I keep making the mistake of changing my plot lines and completely abandoning the original idea, to the point of my stories not making much sense anymore. I also find myself becoming far too involved in the stories that I write during my manic episodes, sometimes thinking about nothing but the characters in them for hours on end, which is a risk to my performance at work and school, as well as not being able to sleep because I can't stop thinking about my plots and characters. As you may have guessed by now, writing is a huge part of my life, since it is an extremely important creative output for me. If I didn't have this output, my mind would be completely fogged with ideas that I wouldn't be able to put down anywhere and so it sometimes proves to be therapeutic for me to write, whether it be fanfiction or my own original works. However, as I said earlier, sometimes the ideas in my head get replaced with others very quickly and forgotten before I get the chance to write them down. I am experiencing this at present, and although it's proving to be a challenge to concentrate long enough to write this note to you, I felt as though it was necessary for me to tell you that this story is to be **DISCONTINUED**, and figured that you deserved somewhat of an explanation.

Another will take its place though; when my damn mood swings seems to have stabilised a little, I will resume writing, being sure to concentrate only on my **Matt/Kari** fic _Every Good Girl Needs A Bad Boy, _and the new **Tai/Mimi** fic I'll be starting when I've settled.

I'm so sorry for being such a damn cop-out, I hope I can make it up to you with a new Michi fic in the very near future, preferably with a lighter mood to it. My writing can get pretty grim when I'm feeling low too; I'll be sure to write and update when I'm pretty much stable in future, so as to save our lovely Tai and Mimi some hassle in their stories :P

Thank you for taking the time to read this note, and I hope you can understand. I value your time and attention, and appreciate the reviews and messages I get. You guys are awesome… You motivate me to write, and sometimes compliment my silly chapters, which makes me think that this whole 'creative burst' thing isn't always that bad.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you'll stick around to read a new Michi fic when I start it, hopefully it'll make a little more sense :P

Yours truly (and forever grateful!),

Katerina


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